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The Urbanist
The Urbanist
Author: Monocle
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© 2026 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.
915 Episodes
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Camille Rodríguez Montilla investigates the dark history and hopeful future of Caracas’s mall-turned-political-prison – El Helicoide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We discuss some of the promises that led to Zohran Mamdani’s election, from affordability and small businesses to transit. Plus: how are immigrant communities reacting to one of their own sitting in city hall? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Petri Burtsoff takes us to Sajos, in Finland’s northern Lapland, a centre for culture and administration in the Sámi community.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Guy de Launey reports from Urban Future, a Better Cities event taking place this year in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gregory Scruggs tells the odd tale of the energy-sapping totem that is Santo Domingo’s Columbus Lighthouse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We speak with Apple’s VP of places, Kristina Raspe, about how the tech giant’s real-estate portfolio adds to cities. Then: the changing face of Medellin and we farewell our long-time producer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Clarissa Wei climbs Taiwan’s best-known tower to investigate the clever engineering that keeps it in the sky.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We reflect on Mipim conversations with the executive director of UN Habitat, as well as representatives from the New York City Housing Authority, Miami-Dade Beacon Council and ING Media.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Andrew Tuck goes searching for the remains of the home of a 1930s Hollywood star in Mallorca’s Bay of Palma.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We report from the world’s leading real estate event, Mipim. Here we meet mayors from Turku to Genoa and Lisbon to Rome who are putting their city’s best foot forward to drive investment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tomas Pinheiro takes us to Tiong Bahru Estate to see how Singapore is able to succeed at the 15 minute city model within just one urban development.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We visit Oslo to see the New Government Quarter, which has transformed the site of the city’s 2011 terrorist attacks into an open, civic space. Then: we explore the new Louise Tower on Brussels’s iconic Avenue Louise.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Paul Logothetis takes us to a hotel in Manhattan that has been transforming since its construction in the 1960s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We speak to Málaga’s officials, architects, artists and restaurateurs to assess its urban transformation. Plus: we speak to the CEO of Arup to hear about how the firm is helping cities to thrive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gustavo Ocando Alex tells the story of the Maracaibo Metro, which has garnered a particularly diminutive nickname thanks to its limited coverage – the result of a lack of funding and alleged corruption.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Training our lens on Toronto, we look at Pinnacle Skytower, one of its newest skyscrapers; explore Indigenous Hub, a new mixed-use development; and learn about Frank Darling, an architectural icon of the city.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Alexei Korolyov visits a key work of Viennese modernism by Austrian design icon Josef Frank, which has been reopened after a five-year restoration.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We visit the capital of the Dominican Republic to see how its historic centre is balancing residential and tourist appeal. We also stop by Sydney’s newly reopened fish market and hear from the co-CEO of Waymo.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dennis Maher, artist and the founder and director of The Assembly House, describes how his project is helping to preserve more than just structures in the city of Buffalo.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We report from the World Governments Summit, where we speak to Khalfan Belhoul of Dubai Future Foundation; German minister for digital transformation Karsten Wildberger; and Muhannad Tayem from Deloitte Middle East.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.




