There’s no shame coming second, particularly when phase two of your new metro is about to go live, your airport is a joy, you can bike safely through the city and you have so many stunning residents.
Cities are often seen as the flipside of nature: synthetic, sleek and sometimes a little bit impersonal. In fact, bringing elements of the wild into urban spaces has always been the hallmark of the well-thought-out city and…
Far beyond the last city bus stop and miles from where the metro track runs out, you’ll find shop owners for whom a loyal clientele and room to roam beats the sleek certainties of urban retail.
On the edge of the Yangmingshan national park, the peaceful suburb of Beitou offers a reinvigorated model for living beyond the bustle of urban centres.
It isn’t as easy as some governments might suppose to build a metropolis from scratch with all the vibrancy of a city that has grown naturally. So here are three examples of cities from different periods of history that…
Municipal regeneration in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, the biggest bicycle parking garage in the world opens in Utrecht and the New Orleans Greenway.
Construction work continues in Burma’s new model capital, inaugurated in 2005. Its sparkling buildings are designed to consolidate the generals’ power – but with small steps towards democracy, could Aung San Suu Kyi one day…
The World Design Capital for 2012 is having a design renaissance. Helsinki officials, academics and designers are inspired by the chance to prove it isn’t stuck in the shade of its mid-century heritage.
Three key facts:…
It’s not quite the return of the Ottoman Empire but Istanbul is set to be home to a new finance district and accompanying transport upgrades, including the world’s largest airport. Will this be a journey that results in a…
Monocle’s researchers have spent the past months putting the world’s leading cities to the test to find the best places for you to make your base. Last year Copenhagen was the winner of our survey but in 2009 the award goes…
Quality of life isn’t just about cycle lanes and roof gardens; our cities need inspirational thinking and ideas from the cultural sphere, too. Here, we profile five players – from a South African rock band to a Tokyo web…