The Urbanist

Monocle

With an influential audience of city mayors, urban planners and architects, this is Monocle’s guide to making better cities, be it new technology, state-of-the-art subways or compact apartments. Nominee in the Smartest Podcast category of the 2019 British Podcast awards.

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20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Thursday · 28 min
Designing a modern library that is relevant to people and place
We review a new library project in Oregon, learn about a system helping Swedish city-dwellers share and find out how to build sticky neighbourhoods. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 27 · 4 min
Tall Stories 519: Exploring Caracas’ panoramic Humboldt Hotel
Gustavo Ocando Alex tells us the story of Hotel Humboldt, which sits on the northern hills of Caracas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 23 · 37 min
Thomas Heatherwick on generosity in urban design and how to sustain a project’s momentum
We assess two long-running London projects: Thomas Heatherwick joins us to talk about Olympia; while Nick Watson outlines the decades of progress at Elephant Park. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 20 · 5 min
Tall Stories 518: The past and present grow together at Chengdu’s West Village
Tomás Pinheiro takes us to West Village in Chengdu to see how local vernacular and modern-day needs go hand in hand in this megaproject. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 16 · 27 min
How London’s South Bank has supported culture for 75 years
The CEO of South Bank Employers’ Group discusses how the area’s institutions work together to help each other flourish. We also speak to the author of a book that imagines a post-carbon future for our cities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 13 · 4 min
Tall Stories 517: How La Bulla is making itself heard in Veracruz
Verity de Cala takes us to La Bulla in Mexico’s coastal city of Veracruz to see how this park redevelopment project is impacting the local community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 9 · 30 min
How to support the ecosystems that make up our cities
We consider the relationship between our cities and nature as we explore the sponge city concept and learn how our buildings can be kinder to birdlife. Plus: we head to the Finnish city sprinting for carbon neutrality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 6 · 5 min
Tall Stories 516: Beirut’s Sporting Beach Club
Noor Amylia Hilda visits a gallant collection of concrete platforms and saltwater pools on Beirut’s coast that has outlasted the Lebanese Civil War, the 1982 Israel-Lebanon war and economic crises. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 2 · 31 min
Designing for the future: how the technology sector impacts urban design
We find out how to make the buildings of the future serve the cities of today, with urban-friendly data centre design and reimagined technology districts. Plus: why is Singapore so good at planning for its aging population? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 29 · 7 min
Tall Stories 515: Escaping the urban jungle on Mumbai’s Malabar Hill Forest Trail
Rahul Kadri, the principal of IMK Architects, takes us to a jungle escape in the heart of bustling Mumbai. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 25 · 35 min
How greenery improves our quality of life
To mark the release of Monocle’s Quality of Life Survey 2026, we look at how a focus on greenery could be a ticket to success. Plus: How Canada is preparing its cities for climate emergencies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 22 · 5 min
Tall Stories 514: The strange world of Zürich’s Bruno Weber Park
Laura Kramer explores an oasis inhabited by mythical creatures, a fairy-tale tower and giant mosaic-covered beasts on the outskirts of Zürich. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 18 · 37 min
The World Cup effect on our cities
From adapting stadiums in the US to the evolution of Mexico City, we explore what hosting a mega-event such as the World Cup can mean for a city. Plus: Torontonians celebrate and how LA Metro handles the rush. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 15 · 7 min
Tall Stories 513: Finding paradise in the real Shangri-La
Tom Webb takes us to the Chinese city named after the fictional 1933 literary paradise of Shangri-La to sort fact from fiction. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 11 · 30 min
The pillars of architectural practice with a Scandinavian sensibility
Tomas Stokke joins us from Haptic, an architectural firm bringing Scandinavian style to global projects. We also meet Dicle Guntas from Forefront, who aims to revive downtowns through art. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 8 · 5 min
Tall Stories 512: The strange transformation of Nara Juvenile Prison
Gendel Gento takes us to the last surviving example of Japan’s “Five Great Prisons” built during the Meiji era, which has recently undergone a transformation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 4 · 30 min
How can the real estate sector help Europe stay ahead of the competition?
Carlota Rebelo reports from the Urban Land Institute’s 2026 Europe Conference in Berlin, where we hear the most interesting voices in the real estate sector assess the challenges facing our cities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 1 · 4 min
Tall Stories 511: 50 years of London’s Undercroft Skate Space
Sophie Monaghan-Coombs learns about Undercroft Skate Space, a venue that has been central to the London skateboarding scene over the past half century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 28 · 30 min
How Sweden’s ‘fika’ mentality can improve city planning
We learn how one strategist is exporting Swedish fika values to help put city planners on the same page. We also hear about Hungary’s push to revive its urban green commons and how Turku Cathedral locks its doors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 25 · 6 min
Tall Stories 510: Exploring Taiwan’s flying-saucer ghost town
Stefan Dubowski takes us to the beaches of Taiwan’s Wanli district to see a largely abandoned collection of futuristic abodes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.