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
The visionaries
Visionaries: we meet the man trying to boost the public use of New York’s landmark galleries and museums, learn how London would look if it were a national park and find out what Belgrade stands to gain if some cinema-loving activists get their way.
Communicating cities
From promotional campaigns and place branding to TV stations and an app connecting Parisians, we find out how cities get their messages across. Plus we take a stroll through Washington DC’s Capitol Hill.
Made at home
Made in: we check out an organisation pushing to unite manufacturers in Copenhagen, former industrial sites in east London and Belgrade’s design district. Plus: a traditional Hong Kong printing house and a catch-up with Gehl Architects
Reinventing public spaces
Inside story: parks and plazas are obvious public spaces but when the weather gets a little less pleasant, what are our indoor equivalents? From underground pathways to open and airy libraries, we take a look at what public space looks like on the inside. Plus, a special interview with NY…
Loving your neighbourhood
Laws of attraction: what makes you love a certain neighbourhood or street? This week we have a look at the design competition for Helsinki’s proposed Guggenheim museum, wander around Barcelona’s Gothic quarter, chat with New York’s deputy mayor and make a quick stop in Belgrade.
Emptiness
Emptiness: cities often struggle with it and some have too little to spare. With Helsinki having just published a report on the problem, we ask what are the kinds of spaces that city-dwellers will be moving to next?
The Atlantic Dialogues 2014
Atlantic Dialogues: we hit the road and report from this year’s Atlantic Dialogues event in Marrakech, including interviews with the mayor of Rotterdam, the former mayor of LA, and we discuss the goals of the Ford Foundation.
Water in an urban environment
Water: this week we talk about one of the most essential elements in any urban environment and visit cities using water to their advantage. We also learn why others are battling over it, explore some of the world’s lost rivers and take a reluctant closer look at sanitation.
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?
