Monocle

The Urbanist

Society EN ↓ 137 episodes

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.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: monocle.com

Author

Monocle

Category

Society

Podcast website

monocle.com

Latest episode

Nov 9, 2026

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Episodes

Tall Stories 510: Exploring Taiwan’s flying-saucer ghost town 25.05.2026

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.

Why does a safer city for children mean a better urban environment for all? 21.05.2026

We check back in with our friends at the Start With Children, and hear from the duo who hosted one of the organisation’s miniseries of lectures, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett. Plus: we hear from this year’s World Urban Forum in Baku. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tall Stories 509: Taking in Mt Fuji from a new tourist-focused train route 18.05.2026

Julia Kim rides the Hokusai Special Train – a new journey aimed at foreign tourists to take in breathtaking views of Mt Fuji. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why co-housing could be the answer to urban loneliness 14.05.2026

We explore a new style of neighbourhood that could improve social connection and ease cost of living. We also assess Vietnam’s evolving tourism landscape and see how mayors are fighting back against authoritarianism. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arup at 80: Design for what’s next 12.05.2026

A special episode brought to you in collaboration with Arup. We hear from Anna König Jerlmyr, former mayor of Stockholm; Raj Patel, Arup’s chief innovation officer; and award-winning designer Thomas Heatherwick. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tall Stories 508: Inside Jaipur’s traditional enclosed bazaars 11.05.2026

Geetanjali Krishna explores Jaipur’s ‘katlas’ – traditional enclosed market spaces that continue to thrive despite the city’s growing number of shopping malls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Old and new: How to build a neighborhood and reinvent a historic one  07.05.2026

We discover two projects aiming to deliver a human-centric masterplan: Ion Riva in Turkey and Diriyah in Saudi Arabia. Plus: how the Fleet Street Quarter is reinventing the historic London district. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tall Stories 507: Maracaibo’s Iglesia Cristo de Aranza 04.05.2026

Gustavo Ocando Alex takes us to a church in Venezuela’s second city of Maracaibo that helps tell the story of the country’s history. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Collaboration and experimentation at the Bloomberg CityLab summit in Madrid 30.04.2026

Carlota Rebelo reports from the Bloomberg CityLab summit in Madrid, bringing us conversations with the most insightful speakers who have descended on the Spanish capital. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tall Stories 506: The renaissance of Suzhou Creek’s Left Bank 27.04.2026

Tomás Pinheiro heads to Shanghai’s Suzhou Creek to see how the area went from a forgotten district to a sought-after commercial and residential location. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bridge designer’s guide to connecting communities 23.04.2026

Bridge designer Ezra Groskin from Moxon Architects talks about how his craft connects our cities. Then: Kate Brown describes the quiet revolutions garnered from tiny gardens in our urban environments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tall Stories 505: Linz’s Grottenbahn – a dreamland surrounded by history 20.04.2026

Alexei Korolyov takes a ride on Linz’s Grottenbahn – a classic tourist attraction that takes you through one of the city’s former fortification towers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How major events have influenced Milan’s urban infrastructure 16.04.2026

We look at the legacy left by Milan’s Expo 2015 and the Olympic Winter Games on urban infrastructure. Then: Ottawa’s winter-transport report. Plus: Hong Kong’s plans to develop 120 hectares of protected wetlands.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tall Stories 504: Caracas’s El Helicoide – from mall to political prison to rebirth 13.04.2026

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.

Breaking ground or breaking promises? New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first 100 days in office 09.04.2026

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.

Tall Stories 503: The Sámi Cultural Centre in Finland and its impact 06.04.2026

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.

Finding out what our urban futures hold in Ljubljana 02.04.2026

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.

Tall Stories 502: The Columbus Lighthouse’s bizarre origin story 30.03.2026

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.

How Apple delivers a sense of place to the built environment 26.03.2026

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.

Tall Stories 501: How does Taipei 101 stay standing? It’s what’s inside that counts 23.03.2026

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.

More from the world’s leading real estate event – Mipim 19.03.2026

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.

Tall Stories 500: Shadows of Errol Flynn in Mallorca 16.03.2026

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.

Meet the mayors at Mipim, the world’s leading real-estate event 12.03.2026

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.

Tall Stories 499: Masterful mixed-use at Singapore’s Tiong Bahru Estate 09.03.2026

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.

Balancing security and aesthetic appeal in Oslo’s New Government Quarter 05.03.2026

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.

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