
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
Sprawling suburbia
The suburban sprawl: we talk with the mayor of Surrey, Vancouver, look at London’s Hampstead and learn how to control suburbs from Professor Stuart White.
Signs of the times
Signs of the times: a survey of how everything from billboards on skyscrapers to the dazzling advertising displays in Times Square help colour our cities.
Branding a city
City branding: Simon Anholt and Jeremy Hildreth discuss branding London, Jerusalem’s optimism in rebranding and how a museum embodies Bilbao.
Urban monuments
Statues and monuments: architect Peter Eisenman discusses Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial and we find out why France rejected a statue of Carla Bruni.
Temporary cities
The temporary city: author Peter Bishop joins us to look at transient urban trends in Manhattan and Tokyo.
Urban fantasy
Fantasy cities: Peter Murray tells us his vision for 2050, we hear about Beirut’s future plans and visit a comic artist in Paris.
City separation
Divided cities: from religion to economics, The Urbanist finds out why walls don’t work and how a flourishing neighbourhood doesn’t mean it’s any more neighbourly.
Business hubs
Business cities: Andrew Tuck speaks to commuters, planners and creatives in Sydney, Beijing, Paris and London to learn what makes a good place do business.
Keeping a city spick and span
How to keep a city clean: we meet a London street sweeper, learn why Malmö ditched rubbish trucks and look at Milan’s graffiti problem.
Metropolitan neighbours
Urban neighbours: the Chilean mayor re-housing dogs, an Australian whose garage sale have gone global and the San Francisco restaurateur who created a food park.