The Urbanist

Monocle•monocle.com

Society & Culture

Places & Travel

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.

Last refreshed: July 28th, 2025 at 2:04 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

RSS

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

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.

Sep 12, 2024•28 min

Tall Stories 425: Embassy of Russia, Havana

Tomos Lewis investigates how Russia’s embassy in Cuba has come to represent renewed ties between the two countries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 09, 2024•5 min

Crystal Palace Park, ice-cream urbanism & revamping India’s train stations

We explore some summery stories as the season comes to a close in the Northern Hemisphere, including how ice-cream-shop owners and urbanists think alike, plans for regenerating London’s Crystal Palace Park and revitalisation efforts for India’s railway stations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 05, 2024•33 min

Tall Stories 424: Museu do Amanhã, Rio de Janeiro

Liv Kessler explores the story behind a marvel of neofuturistic architecture stretching out across the water in Rio de Janeiro. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 02, 2024•7 min

Adaptive reuse in Nigeria & safer streets in London

How does adaptive reuse differ around the globe? We speak to an expert to uncover how Africa does things differently when it comes to giving a building a second life. We also discuss the feeling of safety for women in cities by way of a recent study into our physical and emotional responses to urban environments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 29, 2024•30 min

Tall Stories 423: Rothko Chapel, Houston

Gregory Scruggs takes us to a non-denominational chapel that has been a spiritual sanctuary and design lover’s dream for decades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 26, 2024•5 min

Liveable Manila, Wilmington Waterfront Park and Monocle’s mobility special

Good journalism can have an effect on our cities’ quality of life. In this episode, we speak to a media company in the Philippines aiming to make Manila livable. We also visit a new waterfront park near the Port of Los Angeles and flick through the pages of Monocle’s mobility special issue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 22, 2024•28 min

Tall Stories 422: The Vjesnik building, Zagreb

Guy De Launey tells us about a largely overlooked piece of Zagreb’s urban environment that was once home to an iconic Yugoslav newspaper. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 19, 2024•8 min

How monarchs shape our cities

Throughout history, kings and queens have commissioned buildings all around the world but just how much has their vision shaped the cities of today? We explore the new book, ‘Royalty and Architecture’, with its editor Clive Aslet. Plus: we visit a place that saw everything from coronations to royal funerals and check on the rebuilding efforts of Notre Dame five years on from a devastating fire. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

Aug 15, 2024•28 min

Tall Stories 421: Le Carreau du Temple, Paris

David Stevens visits a historic part of Paris that has been a celebrated example of a mixed-use space for centuries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 12, 2024•4 min

← Prev

Hosted on Omny Studio

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android