Sponsored by
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
What’s next for our cities
From ridding ourselves of cars and making sure every last takeaway cup is recycled to simply avoiding chaos, we explore the ideas of those addressing the future of our cities.
The green city
The green city: we look at the lofty ideals of carbon-neutral metropolises and the practicality of the matter. Sure, you’ve planted trees but can you afford the maintenance?
Cities for all ages
Big cities spend a lot of time focused on youth; building their future on the backs of those with energy and ambition. Yet with ageing populations affecting many urban centres, we ask what cities…
The beauty episode
The beauty episode: does a pretty place improve quality of life? And what fits into the category of “beautification” – can baroque architecture and graffiti coexist?
Dying breeds
The dying breeds: Cities are rapidly changing places in the global hierarchy and with all of the new people, new buildings and new things to do, some are inevitably left behind. In this episode…
World cities
World cities: capitals of commerce, culture, politics or transport are in a bare-knuckle fight to attract the world’s attention. But should every city try to play this game? We look at the savvy world…
Site lines
Site lines: how does art, theatre or business respond to the city that it is based in? This episode is a look at what we are calling the site-specific city.
The new urbanists
The new urbanists: who are they? From app entrepreneurs with eyes fixed on solutions-for-cities prize money to film festivals and art shows that bring the conversations about metropolis-making into the mainstream.
Independent cities
Independent cities: we discuss whether London could ever become a separate city state, take a look at which areas work best for independent businesses and visit a café in Vancouver for a digital detox…
The office workspace
The office: being in an environment you love shouldn’t mean having to count down the hours until your commute home. We look at what makes the perfect space for work and what that has…
