
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 impact of hipsters
The Hipster: they are part of a very visible and oft-derided subculture that has pushed loft-style living into big business and filled the streets with couture coffee. But what is the long-term impact of…
The lobbyists
The lobbyists: not the bad or ugly, but the good. How are those lobbying City Hall, whether through closed-door meetings or open public festivals, getting their messages heard – and changing the metropolis for…
The “third-place” concept
“Third place”: the not-so-new concept of a space between work and home that’s dominating the business plans of everyone from hoteliers to park directors. We visit London, Hong Kong, Washington DC and Sydney –…
The guided city
The guided city: tourist or resident, what role do guides have in opening up a city? Off the beaten path or firmly on it, how do we challenge our understanding of cities through new…
The perfect city block
The perfect city block: from the types of tree and best places to sit, to the scale of an apartment block and the width of the pavement – what is it that makes the…
City behaviour
Oh, behave: How do cities affect how we interact? We head to Rio de Janeiro, New York, Lisbon and London to listen, watch and walk our way through urban behaviour.
Urban religion
Religion: star, cross and crescent – we ask what impact religion has on our cities, whether it’s the singing sermon tourist track or church condo conversions.
DIY cities
DIY: From the one big project that transforms your life to the 100 little things you should do in a day, how do you build your own city? We’ll meet the man who set…
The kids are all right
The kids are all right: the big bad city isn’t always made for those who are 2ft tall so we look at how children live in the megacity and why urban design is becoming…
Bloomber’s New York – Part 2
Bloomberg’s New York: In the second of a two-part documentary on Michael Bloomberg’s 12 years at New York City Hall, we look at the former mayor’s management style, why he loves a cubicle and…