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.
Location:
London, United Kingdom
Networks:
Monocle
Description:
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.
Language:
English
Contact:
Midori House, 1 Dorset Street, London, W1U 4EG, UK +44 20 7725 4388
Email:
info@monocle.com
Episodes
What can cities learn from nature? Discover The Bioplanning Institute and the Bundanon Art Museum
10/2/2025
We meet Dror Benshetrit, a founding member of The Bioplanning Institute, who’s reframing urbanism through an ecological design lens. Plus: how the Bundanon Art Museum in Australia teaches cities to better interact with the natural world.
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Duration:00:28:12
IPUT special: meet chief executive Niall Gaffney
10/1/2025
Join us for a special episode in partnership with IPUT, Dublin’s leading property-investment company. We meet chief executive Nial Gaffney to talk about building community and setting new benchmarks for cities in Ireland.
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Duration:00:19:34
Tall Stories 478: Feira de São Cristóvão – a Nordestino feast in Rio de Janeiro
9/29/2025
Tomás Pinheiro takes us to a space in Rio de Janeiro that brings together all the best offerings from Brazil’s northeastern region and is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.
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Duration:00:08:25
The secrets to urban crowd control, compassionate design and the World Tramdriver Championship
9/25/2025
We find out how cities move crowds safely and efficiently, investigate how design can affect health and wellbeing, and stop by the World Tramdriver Championship in Vienna.
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Duration:00:31:51
Tall Stories 477: Biidaasige Park – how Toronto combines green space and flood protection
9/22/2025
Mandy Sinclair takes us to Toronto to explore the largest new park opening in a generation, which helps to prevent flooding and provide green space for residents and visitors.
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Duration:00:06:33
What we learned at the World Design Congress
9/18/2025
As the World Design Congress ponders a response to climate change, we meet one of the world’s best architects and an indigenous design expert. Plus: we visit Seattle’s new Waterfront Park.
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Duration:00:31:09
Tall Stories 476: Dulles International Airport’s Mobile Lounges, Washington
9/15/2025
Gregory Scruggs unpacks a heritage feature of Dulles International Airport in Washington that to this day gives the terminal a unique charm.
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Duration:00:07:42
Cape Town’s liveability secrets – highlights from Monocle’s Quality of Life Conference
9/11/2025
What are Cape Town’s secrets to liveability, how do you act like a local in Barcelona and why is the UAE the best place to bring people together?
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Duration:00:27:58
Tall Stories 475: Bethlem Royal Hospital and Bethlem Museum of the Mind, London
9/8/2025
Monocle’s Sophie Monaghan-Coombs tells us the story of the world’s oldest psychiatric hospital, founded in the 13th century in London.
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Duration:00:07:47
Want to find utopia? Try Columbia, Maryland
9/4/2025
We visit one of the US’s more successful attempts at a utopian society, as well as a mass-timber tower in Portland and the winners of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
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Duration:00:31:38
Tall Stories 474: Fuggerei, Augsburg – Germany’s 88-cent rent
9/1/2025
Valerie Hamilton takes us to the world’s oldest public-housing complex, which has a very unique payment system.
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Duration:00:05:22
Crowdfunding community projects, personalised airport terminals and a Swiss folk festival
8/28/2025
We explore a crowdfunding platform for community projects, learn how to personalise the airport-retail experience and head to the Olten Chilbi folk festival in Switzerland.
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Duration:00:33:42
Tall Stories 473: The Hope for Peace Monument, Beirut
8/25/2025
Noor Amylia Hilda takes us to the outskirts of Beirut to visit a monument for peace constructed from instruments of war.
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Duration:00:05:31
How good design affects a city beyond the aesthetic – from coastal resilience to safer transit
8/21/2025
We unpack two stories exemplifying the principle that thoughtful design can have a deeper impact than just being pleasant to look at.
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Duration:00:27:31
Tall Stories 472: Al-Nawfara Coffee Shop, Damascus
8/18/2025
Liam Syed takes us to a café in Damascus that serves up regional favourites blended with stories of the Syrian capital’s past.
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Duration:00:04:49
How can the arts and culture sectors boost a city’s economy?
8/14/2025
We assess how cultural spaces, music venues and arts festivals can bring a city economic success.
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Duration:00:29:02
Tall Stories 471: Aalto Siilo – the ugliest building in Oulu
8/11/2025
Wif Stenger describes how the so-called “ugliest building in Oulu” can be redesigned to serve as a community treasure.
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Duration:00:05:25
Earning the commute – how do we get city centres humming again?
8/7/2025
We chair a roundtable conversation on the future of the office and how good design can bring people back to our city centres.
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Duration:00:28:21
Tall Stories 470: Szimpla Kert, Budapest
8/4/2025
Geetanjali Krishna takes us to Budapest’s pioneering “ruin bar” to see how urban environments persevere through destruction.
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Duration:00:05:47
How citizens stay informed: why strong city journalism matters
7/31/2025
We review some strong city journalism to see how these publications and productions are helping city residents to stay informed about the environments that they live, work and play in.
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Duration:00:36:53