What do you really want out of a city? And what can you do without? With the environment top of the agenda in mayors’ offices around the world, Monocle looks beyond the recycling bins and congestion charges to see what…
The Green Bird team of Tokyo is an army of young people, with cool haircuts and bibs supplied by Nike. cleaning up their city. Picking up litter has never been sexier.
In Germany home-owners can generate power and sell it to the national grid. Genoa runs an inspiring van-share scheme that’s cutting congestion and in Estonia they have adopted a simple fiscal reform that’s kept the economy…
Decent design has always prioritised better materials, using less and making things that are worth keeping. We profile three firms selling sustainability, storage and a sense of order that’s made to order.
Nespresso, part of the Nestlé Group, invented those clever capsules to make a tasty, mess-free cup of coffee in 1986. Today, the company is booming thanks to its Swiss heritage and corporate skill.
It builds one new coal power plant every week, and is the largest emitter of carbon emissions in the world. But as world leaders gather for Copenhagen’s climate change conference, China is also the nation that could save…
One company’s trash is another’s profit. After revolutionising waste management in the UAE, Beeah has once again set the standard for sustainability with one of Zaha Hadid’s final builds – an undulating, solar-powered, AI…
From the African brand plugging remote villages into a solar-powered grid, to the Lithuanian firm lightening farming’s footprint, we highlight 10 businesses doing it better – to the benefit of both the planet and their…
At their best, city laws can encourage smart behaviour and enshrine the freedoms that make great places to live. At their worst they can pander, prevaricate and even generate a stifled laugh. Some of these lesser-known…
Now that you’re more familiar with all things UAE, you’ll want to know where to rest your head, sate your appetite, quench your thirst and pique your curiosity. We’ve got it all covered in the following directory of the…
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:…
We have fallen for elements of urban living in many different cities and have often dreamed of being given a city block where we could bring them together. Now with the help of a team of leading architects, we have done…
With roads gridlocked, delivering goods in the world’s cities is a growing problem. One engineer believes the answer lies in underground Victorian-style pneumatic pipes and he has some powerful backers.