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
Bicycles: hop on
As more and more people choose to hop on a bike rather than a crammed tram, we examine the cycle revolution that is just around the corner. We see how bike tours are improving one of Johannesburg’s poorest communities, check out cycling in traffic-prone Cairo and discuss how bicycles are…
Tall Stories 24: Sint-Annatunnel
The river Schelde is the lifeblood of Antwerp but with no bridges crossing it there’s only one way to get to the other side by foot. We take a stroll down the Sint-Annatunnel.
Beyazit, biennales and bikes
We catch up with the Lebanese pavilion at the London Design Biennale, check out the newly renovated Beyazit State Library in Istanbul and explore Moscow’s disappearing kiosks. Plus: the latest trends in urban cycling from Eurobike 2016.
Tall Stories 23: Mount Pleasant Post Office
An underground railway, a billion letters and a good few inches of postman’s leg: we gasp at the utilitarian beauty of London’s Mount Pleasant Post Office.
Escaping the city
City life can be a little full on. We find out why it feels good to get away from the concrete, the crowds and the chaos and highlight a few quiet spots in which to slow down before getting back to the bustle of our cities.
Tall Stories 22: The Egg
We head to Beirut to find out about the history and uncertain future of The Egg. Is it a relic of Lebanon’s long gone golden era or a painful reminder of the civil war?
Parades
We hand over the stage to the streets of our cities as we examine the impact of annual parades and ask why we flock together to watch neatly choreographed military marches and people dancing in colourful costumes.
Tall Stories 21: the Cascade
In the Armenian capital of Yerevan there is one structure that draws attention like no other: the Cascade. We check out the brainchild of a group of pioneering modernist architects in the 1960s.
Housing
This week we explore housing projects and how to make them work, from Sydney’s most notorious and somewhat unusual Sirius Building to Singapore’s social housing and the UK’s infamous council estates.
Tall Stories 20: the tabaccheria sign
What is the secret to effective, eye-catching shop signage? In the case of the Italian tabaccheria – known for its white “T” against a dark background – consistency is key.
