The best of ‘Tall Stories’ in 2024
Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, rounds up his favourite episodes of ‘Tall Stories’ from 2024. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 02, 2025•29 min
The Urbanist
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.
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Episodes
The best of 2024
Monocle’s editor-in-chief Andrew Tuck recalls some of his favourite interviews and reports from the year on ‘The Urbanist’. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 26, 2024•30 min
A very Urbanist Christmas
Our holiday special brings you a collection of yuletide traditions from cities around the world. Then, we roll out another festive round of ‘The Urbanist’ quiz and give you the perfect gift idea for the urbanist in your life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 19, 2024•27 min
Tall Stories 439: Deer Valley Resort, Utah
Jessica Bridger straps on her skis and takes us to a grand American resort whose wild, man-made landscape stuns visitors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 16, 2024•8 min
Swimmable cities, Battersea Power Station and indigenous retail
Matt Sykes, co-founder and convenor of Swimmable Cities, describes how our urban centres can band together to promote more swimmable urban waterways. Then Sebastien Ricard from Wilkinsoneyre unpacks the transformation of the Battersea Power Station and Mandy Sinclair visits Aaniin – Canada’s first fully indigenous-owned department store. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2024•29 min
Tall Stories 438: Cusco’s duality
Elna Schutz explores how antiquity and modernity coexist in the city of Cusco, perched high in the Andes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 09, 2024•5 min
How municipal architects shape our cities
From the perspectives of towns, cities and countries, we look at the role of the municipal architect today to see how this centralised advisor can help to cut red tape, mould an identity and connect stakeholders for better urban-design choices. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 05, 2024•28 min
Tall Stories 437: Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation, New York
Paul Logothetis takes us to an intriguing new building that is just as awe inspiring as the exhibits housed within. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 02, 2024•6 min
‘The Land is Full’, plus urbanism for young and old
We speak to Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, whose new monograph, ‘The Land is Full’, explains why all land comes with deep history and cultural ties. Then we inspire young urbanists with the author of an architecturally themed colouring book and assess how Singapore will combat loneliness in its rapidly ageing population. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 28, 2024•29 min
Tall Stories 436: Tallinna Linnahall
David Plaisant visits a Soviet-era concert hall that has been disused for the best part of 15 years and is loved and loathed by the city’s residents in equal measure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 25, 2024•9 min
The positives of public parks, Kitchener’s glockenspiel and the art of letter carving
We assess all the benefits that public green space brings to a city, visit one of the most German cities in Canada to see how the town glockenspiel brings residents together and investigate the ancient art of letter carving. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 21, 2024•29 min
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.
Nov 18, 2024•5 min
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.
Nov 14, 2024•31 min
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.
Nov 11, 2024•8 min
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.
Nov 07, 2024•31 min
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.
Nov 04, 2024•6 min
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.
Oct 31, 2024•31 min
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.
Oct 28, 2024•7 min
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.
Oct 24, 2024•29 min
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.
Oct 21, 2024•7 min
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 o...
Oct 17, 2024•32 min
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.
Oct 14, 2024•8 min
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.
Oct 10, 2024•30 min
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.
Oct 07, 2024•7 min
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.
Oct 03, 2024•28 min
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.
Sep 30, 2024•6 min
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.
Sep 26, 2024•31 min
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.
Sep 23, 2024•8 min
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.
Sep 19, 2024•28 min
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.
Sep 16, 2024•11 min
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