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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Valerie Hamilton takes us to the world’s oldest public-housing complex, which has a very unique payment system.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Noor Amylia Hilda takes us to the outskirts of Beirut to visit a monument for peace constructed from instruments of war.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We unpack two stories exemplifying the principle that thoughtful design can have a deeper impact than just being pleasant to look at.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Liam Syed takes us to a café in Damascus that serves up regional favourites blended with stories of the Syrian capital’s past.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We assess how cultural spaces, music venues and arts festivals can bring a city economic success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wif Stenger describes how the so-called “ugliest building in Oulu” can be redesigned to serve as a community treasure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We chair a roundtable conversation on the future of the office and how good design can bring people back to our city centres.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Geetanjali Krishna takes us to Budapest’s pioneering “ruin bar” to see how urban environments persevere through destruction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sheena Rossiter tells us the story of Tyra, the world’s largest dinosaur, and how the community and the rest of Canada are reacting to news of her removal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We are in the United States this week to see how one of the world’s most car-dependent nations can make its streets more pedestrian friendly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To celebrate the release of Monocle’s Quality of Life Survey 2025, we record a special edition of the programme in association with Brookfield from the rooftop of their smart new offices in Mayfair, London. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Naomi Xu Elegant investigates the largest office-to-residential conversion in American history, which was recently completed in New York.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We look at adaptive reuse through two lenses: a blockbuster case in the UK capital and an attempt to get European cities to legislate for less demolition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tomas Pinheiro explores how the millennia-old settlement of Shanghai has grown into China’s most populous urban area.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We look at the effects that war and conflict can have on our cities, and how we go about rebuilding our urban areas better than before.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Charlotte McDonald-Gibson explains the design secrets and quirks behind this neoclassical US Supreme Court Building in Washington.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We’re calling another meeting of ‘The Urbanist’ bookclub to review two titles: ‘Designing the American Century’ and ‘Women Architects at Work’.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.