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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 1, 2025 • 5min
Tall Stories 474: Fuggerei, Augsburg – Germany’s 88-cent rent
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.
Aug 28, 2025 • 34min
Crowdfunding community projects, personalised airport terminals and a Swiss folk festival
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.
Aug 25, 2025 • 6min
Tall Stories 473: The Hope for Peace Monument, Beirut
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.
Aug 21, 2025 • 28min
How good design affects a city beyond the aesthetic – from coastal resilience to safer transit
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.
Aug 18, 2025 • 5min
Tall Stories 472: Al-Nawfara Coffee Shop, Damascus
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.
Aug 14, 2025 • 29min
How can the arts and culture sectors boost a city’s economy?
We assess how cultural spaces, music venues and arts festivals can bring a city economic success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 11, 2025 • 5min
Tall Stories 471: Aalto Siilo – the ugliest building in Oulu
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.
Aug 7, 2025 • 28min
Earning the commute – how do we get city centres humming again?
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.
Aug 4, 2025 • 6min
Tall Stories 470: Szimpla Kert, Budapest
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.
Jul 31, 2025 • 37min
How citizens stay informed: why strong city journalism matters
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.
