The Urbanist
Monocle’s guide to better cities. Explore urban innovation, cutting-edge infrastructure, and compact living with insights from planners, architects, and city leaders.
Latest Episodes
Out of the box
This week we look at those slightly unusual structures that make you ask: how did that get built and what does it say about the city that hosts it? We cover some very obvious eyesores, peculiar street furniture and divisive buildings challenging all architectural norms and models. Is it time…
New year, new city?
It’s a brand new year and with it comes change and resolutions – not just for us but for our cities too. We meet Rio de Janeiro’s new mayor, find out why it took nearly 100 years for a new subway extension to be added in New York and see…
Should a city host a design week?
With more than 100 design weeks around the world, design worshippers are hard-pressed to visit them all. Yet new cities are always being added. So why are so many municipalities trying to link their names with ‘Design’ and what can being a host bring to a city?
The Urbanist: best of 2016
We bring you some of the best moments on ‘The Urbanist’ this year, including reports from Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Seattle – and even a chat from the top of a tree.
Tall Stories: best of 2016
We bring you highlights from 2016’s ‘Tall Stories’, including a tale of the river Thames, the Waikiki Natatorium War Memorial and Singapore’s Cavenagh Bridge.
Jane Jacobs
In a special episode of ‘The Urbanist’, we look at the life and legacy of Jane Jacobs, one of the most influential urban thinkers and city activists of our time.
Come together
This week we report from the C40 conference where mayors gathered to discuss how to implement positive change in the world. Hop on a boat in Lisbon to talk about how collective action and architecture come together and we unpack the emerging trend of building over transit lines.
Grand tour
This week we head to Cairo to talk about how good design has helped the city change for the better, chat with Brazil’s tourism minister Marx Beltrão and catch up with Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta.
All aboard – choo, choo!
The city that is bringing back trains from the late 1950s, an award-winning station with no town and how Austria is aiming to become Europe’s largest night-train operator.
CityLab 2016, part 2
We continue our coverage of this year’s edition of CityLab, which brings together the world’s top mayors, urban leaders and innovators. Featuring the Good Chance Theatre in Calais, how Los Angeles is looking to transform its transport, a chat about housing with the mayor of Seattle, Ed Murray, and a…
