The Urbanist

<p>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. </p>

Tall Stories 435: Streetcars in El Paso

Gregory Scruggs hops aboard a street car in El Paso to find out how the revival of this transportation option has struck a chord with the locals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-18
05:37

Protecting London’s past

We explore some iconic parts of London’s past through ‘London Lost Interiors’, a book revealing the great indoors of the UK capital. Plus: a cylindrical example of brutalist architecture, Space House, which has been preserved for future generations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-14
31:29

Tall Stories 434: Millionaire’s Row, George Town

Tomás Pinheiro discusses the history of a prestigious street in the capital of Malaysia’s Penang state and assesses some of the new developments taking over the area. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-11
08:50

Utopian Hours 2024

Monocle’s Ed Stocker reports from Turin’s annual festival of urbanism, Utopian Hours, where a collection of inspiring speakers discussed everything from meanwhile spaces to climate resilience. Plus: we visit the river Po to see how it interacts with the Piedmontese capital.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-07
32:14

Tall Stories 433: Holcim Foundation Awards series: Sou Fujimoto

Each week we welcome one of the jury chairs of the Holcim Foundation Awards – the world’s premier competition for sustainable design – to hear their views on creating uplifting places, fostering a healthy planet and building thriving communities. In the fifth and final episode we sit down with the Japanese architect and founder of his eponymous studio, Sou Fujimoto.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11-04
07:13

US elections special

We are using the upcoming US election to put a spotlight on American cities and the challenges they face. We discuss housing struggles, how to get around, the changing world of work, the resulting state of downtown cores and how apps are altering our urban fabric.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-31
31:55

Tall Stories 432: Holcim Foundation Awards series: Sandra Barclay

Every week we welcome one of the jury chairs of the Holcim Foundation Awards – the world’s premier competition for sustainable design – to hear their views on creating uplifting places, fostering a healthy planet and building thriving communities. In episode four we meet Peruvian architect and co-founder of Barclay & Crousse, Sandra Barclay.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-28
07:47

WEF: Urban Transformation Summit

Monocle’s Carlota Rebelo reports from the World Economic Forum’s annual Urban Transformation Summit, which took place in San Francisco this week. We discover the city’s plans to build a resilient waterfront, hear about South Africa’s ambitions to tackle the housing crisis and how the private sector can help deliver urban innovation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-24
30:17

Tall Stories 431: Holcim Foundation Awards series: Kjetil Thorsen

Every week we invite one of the jury chairs of the Holcim Foundation Awards – the world’s premier competition for sustainable design – to discuss their views on creating uplifting places, fostering a healthy planet and building thriving communities. In episode three we speak with Norwegian architect and co-founder of Snøhetta, Kjetil Thorsen.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-21
08:06

Designing for nature

In a special episode in collaboration with the Holcim Foundation Awards, we look at how to design nature into our cities and foster sustainability in the building sector. We meet Laura Viscovich, the Holcim Foundation’s executive director for sustainable construction, and bring you a live discussion from the Natural History Museum in London where we discover the foundation’s award-winning Urban Nature Project: a new five-acre, globally celebrated green space in the heart of the metropolis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-17
32:40

Tall Stories 430: Holcim Foundation Awards series: Lina Ghotmeh

Every week we welcome one of the jury chairs of the Holcim Foundation Awards – the world’s premier competition for sustainable design – to hear their views on creating uplifting places, fostering a healthy planet and building thriving communities. In episode two we sit down with Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh, the founding principal of her eponymously named practice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-14
08:49

Istanbul special

To mark Monocle’s visit to Istanbul for the annual Quality of Life Conference, we find out what makes the city tick with our local correspondent – Hannah Lucinda Smith. From an up-and-coming neighbourhood to a revitalised industrial district, and a revamped hammam too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-10
30:29

Tall Stories 429: Holcim Foundation Awards series: Jeanne Gang

Every week on Monocle Radio we welcome one of the jury chairs of the Holcim Foundation Awards, the world’s premier competition for sustainable design, to hear their views on creating uplifting places, fostering a healthy planet and building thriving communities. In episode one, we sit down with the US architect and founder of Studio Gang, Jeanne Gang.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-07
08:28

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat International Conference

We report from the CTBUH International Conference at London’s Barbican Centre where keynote speakers and city-building experts discuss how to do density better.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

10-03
28:56

Tall Stories 428: Havis Amanda, Helsinki

Petri Burtsoff tells the story of Havis Amanda, a beloved fountain and statue in Helsinki, which has recently been restored.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-30
07:13

America’s downtowns

At a tough time for downtown districts, we visit San Francisco and Seattle to find out how the urban centres are trying to encourage more footfall and appeal to the public during work and leisure hours.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-26
31:34

Tall Stories 427: Room 1742, Queen Elizabeth Fairmont Hotel, Montréal

Paul Logothetis visits the site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous bed-in protest, where one of the most well-known protest songs was recorded.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-23
08:46

Old and young, plus the ‘sponge city’ concept

We look out for the oldest – and youngest – residents of our cities as we explore how design can combat loneliness among the elderly, and how children in Helsinki can learn while enjoying public playgrounds. We also check in with the originator of the ‘sponge city’ concept.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-19
28:35

Tall Stories 426: Michigan Central Station, Detroit

Mandy Sinclair explores the story of a disused rail station in the car capital of the US, which has been given a new lease of life by the automobile giant that calls Detroit home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-16
11:48

Muscat’s transformation & how design can save our cities

As the capital of Oman begins an era of urban expansion, we speak with the firm tasked with forming a plan for the region’s future growth. Then: we tackle some of the existential challenges facing our urban environments through a new book which places design and architecture in the driver’s seat for saving our cities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

09-12
28:25

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