
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

America’s downtowns
At a tough time for downtown districts, we visit San Francisco and Seattle to find out how the urban centres are trying to encourage more footfall and appeal to the public during work and…

Old and young, plus the ‘sponge city’ concept
We look out for the oldest – and youngest – residents of our cities as we explore how design can combat loneliness among the elderly, and how children in Helsinki can learn while enjoying…

Muscat’s transformation & how design can save our cities
As the capital of Oman begins an era of urban expansion, we speak with the firm tasked with forming a plan for the region’s future growth. Then: we tackle some of the existential challenges…

Crystal Palace Park, ice-cream urbanism & revamping India’s train stations
We explore some summery stories as the season comes to a close in the Northern Hemisphere, including how ice-cream-shop owners and urbanists think alike, plans for regenerating London’s Crystal Palace Park and revitalisation efforts…

Adaptive reuse in Nigeria & safer streets in London
How does adaptive reuse differ around the globe? We speak to an expert to uncover how Africa does things differently when it comes to giving a building a second life. We also discuss the…

Liveable Manila, Wilmington Waterfront Park and Monocle’s mobility special
Good journalism can have an effect on our cities’ quality of life. In this episode, we speak to a media company in the Philippines aiming to make Manila livable. We also visit a new…

How monarchs shape our cities
Throughout history, kings and queens have commissioned buildings all around the world but just how much has their vision shaped the cities of today? We explore the new book, ‘Royalty and Architecture’, with its…

Paris: the Olympics and the city
Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be a great catalyst for urban transformation. This week we report from the French capital as it plays host to the world to find out more about…

Brooklyn Bridge Park and lifelong neighbourhoods
We speak with the landscape architect behind Brooklyn Bridge Park, one of New York’s most exciting public spaces. Plus: we see what makes a location liveable, from youth through to adulthood, by way of…

Live from Saint-Gobain Tower
‘The Urbanist’ hosts three expert speakers at Saint-Gobain’s Paris headquarters – Pascal Eveillard, Petra Marko and Kelsea Crawford – to discuss the future of our built environment and how innovation can help us live…