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 energy should we take into 2026 in order to face climate change head on?
We meet Dr Gary Yohe, a Nobel Peace prize recipient for his work on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Then: we discover the stories behind Britain’s cooling towers, a brutalist structure that once dominated our skylines.
Tall Stories 490: How renovations stripped Bangkok’s Robot Building of its personality
Tomás Pinheiro explains how an act of urban erasure in the Thai capital stole the charm from one of the city’s iconic structures.
The best of ‘Tall Stories’ in 2025
Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, rounds up his favourite episodes of ‘Tall Stories’ from 2025.
The best of 2025
Monocle’s editor-in-chief Andrew Tuck recalls some of his favourite interviews and reports from the year on ‘The Urbanist’.
How healthcare-facility design can improve the lives of all city dwellers
We assess how the design of healthcare facilities can improve not just the experience of treatment but also the neighbourhoods in which these centres stand.
Tall Stories 489: Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island
Gregory Scruggs tells us the tale of the oldest existing synagogue in the United States.
‘Architecture is Climate’
We speak to Jeremy Till and Tatjana Schneider – two of the authors behind ‘Architecture is Climate’ – a new book rethinking the industry and its foundations in an age of ecological crisis.
Tall Stories 488: The bunker in Schönbornpark, Vienna
Alexei Korolyov visits an air-raid bunker that has laid empty for decades but is now being brought back to life through art.
MIPIM Asia 2025: What are Asian cities learning from each other?
We report from MIPIM Asia in Hong Kong, where delegates from across the APAC region and beyond discussed solutions to meet the rapid pace of urbanisation. Plus: a city reeling from a devastating fire in Tai Po.
Tall Stories 487: Strolling Athens’ stoas
Paul Logothetis takes us to an iconic feature of Athens’ urban fabric – covered walkways offering much needed shade and a space for socialising.
