Monocle 24: The Urbanist

Elena Kuji Buteică guides us through Casa Vintilă Brătianu’s storied past and the careful restoration turning it into a space for community and public life in the heart of the Romanian capital.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We recap the successes of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial. Plus: worker housing in Saudi Arabia and a new urban-farming development in London’s Canada Water district. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sally Howard tells us the secrets behind a repolished jewel in Manhattan’s hospitality crown.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born partly out of the necessity to store the V&A’s extensive collection, the V&A East Storehouse is already a curious asset in its own right. We uncover its design, construction and operation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sophie Monaghan-Coombs tells us how the new V&A East Storehouse is bringing the memory of brutalist London housing estate Robin Hood Gardens to life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carlota Rebelo reports from Bratislava for the second edition of the Start with Children summit, unpacking how child-friendly design can lead to better cities for all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Syed takes us to a cultural facility in the West Bank, which provides its users with an outlet for their cultural expression and helps to strengthen the area’s creative infrastructure.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From a Mexican architect’s greatest structures to the famous London Eye, we explore the effect that iconic pieces of the built environment can have on their cities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Camille Rodríguez Montilla takes us to a masterfully designed public library in the heart of Colombia’s capital.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We recap some of the most exciting city-focused conversations from Monocle’s The Chiefs conference in Jakarta.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexei Korolyov takes us to a redesigned hydraulics facility that is taking on a new life in the Austrian capital.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Canada heads to the polls, we take a look at how urbanism made its way onto the ballot, from the housing shortage and cities’ response to tariffs to plans for Toronto’s Downsview Airport.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francesca Gilks takes us to a Swedish open-air amphitheatre built in a former limestone quarry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We delve into the power of sports to help propel the regeneration of an entire neighbourhood. We’ll explore how smart stadium design can help cities grow in a more sustainable way and hear from the architecture firm behind the world’s largest landscape-led project, Riyadh’s Sports Boulevard.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carla Hyenne takes us to Matadero Madrid to see how some well-timed redevelopment nearby made it an even more attractive destination for visitors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are some of the ways that heating the air and water in our buildings can be made greener? We consider innovative solutions from the capture and redistribution of a building’s warmth to a solar project in London that is decarbonising The British Library’s water-heating process. Plus: we visit one of India’s historic stepwells to see how the ancient structures could provide an answer to the country’s water-supply woes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geetanjali Krishna explores the exhibits at a unique station in the Indian capital, which aims to slow down hurried commuters and provide them with a chance for discovery.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s all about New York this week: Jonathan Tarleton talks about his new book ‘Homes for Living’, which explores the privatisation of two housing co-ops; we look at traffic and downtown gridlock; and discover how the ‘City of Yes’ plan will bring more density to the city.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Logothetis takes us to the world’s longest natural skating rink.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monocle’s editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, is joined on stage by Muyiwa Oki, the president of RIBA, alongside our executive producer, Carlota Rebelo, and design editor, Nic Monisse, to explore how thoughtful architecture, visionary developers and pioneering city-makers can redefine our cities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gregory Scruggs explains the story of an unlikely invention that changed the fortunes of ski towns worldwide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We report from San Francisco as Monocle’s Christopher Lord speaks with some of the key players and devotees of the city’s downtown – an area that has most keenly felt the effects of the post-pandemic lull. The city’s mayor, as well as property developers and local business people, weigh in on the direction of travel they see for this gold-rush city known for its boom-and-bust nature.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Grice explores the history and current day offerings of the Warburg Institute Library.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are on the ground in Cannes for the global urban festival Mipim, where we speak with mayors from around the world who are looking to stoke interest in their cities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomas Pinheiro tells us how concert venue Circo Voador became so intertwined with Brazilian music that it was named an intangible cultural heritage site.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore The Round, a new almost 93,000 sq m landmark development in London, to hear how developers are putting community at its core. Plus: we’re in Bangkok to discover how the city is tackling its suffocating air pollution. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Camille Rodríguez Montilla takes us to Universidad Central de Venezuela to see why it means so much to its students, alumni and the city as a whole.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look back at snapshots of our cities as we speak to the man behind Milan’s Bosco Verticale a decade on from construction, revisit a collection of essays 14 years after they were written while strolling the streets of Toronto and see how the refurbishment of a traditional house in Old Delhi is giving a view into the city’s past.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elna Schutz takes us to a park in Lima best known for its large number of well-cared-for resident cats.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore how going digital can contribute to a thriving city democracy and improve other things such as climate resilience and urban loneliness. The CEO of digital community-engagement platform Go Vocal describes its benefit for communities, the developer behind Europe’s most digitally connected neighbourhood tells us how they did it and we stop by the new Riyadh Metro.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexei Korolyov tells us about the refurbishment of one of Vienna’s most important modernist buildings.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take a look at three developments in the UK capital that will be worth a visit in the months to come. From a revitalised piece of industrial history to a colourful waterside park in a grey business district and the big tenants pitching up beside Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geetanjali Krishna takes us to a temporary city on the banks of the Ganges river to investigate a large example of temporary urbanism brought about by a Hindu pilgrimage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore how keeping culture in mind when planning our cities can have effects beyond just arts-related improvements. The people behind ‘The Routledge Handbook of Urban Cultural Planning’ tell us more. Plus: we visit a treasured museum in Lima and look ahead to some cultural institutions that are set to open in 2025.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carla Hyenne describes the history of Paris’s Sacré-Cœur basilica, which holds a history that many of those who visit the monument today might not be familiar with.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discuss the environmental causes, political response and mobility fallout surrounding the Los Angeles wildfires. We examine some of the thousands of structures lost to this catastrophic blaze that tore through many of LA’s neighbourhoods and communities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petri Burtsoff visits his home city to see how it has revived its “canopy kiosks”, which have been a distinctive feature of the Finnish capital for a century.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From creating more resilient cities to how architecture can lift a community, cities hold the key to meaningful change in the world. Monocle’s Carlota Rebelo reports from The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos to find out where cities are headed next.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomos Lewis ponders a potential spring clean of Canada’s official prime ministerial residence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can the materials with which we choose to build affect the economics, sustainability and resilience of our built environment? We explore the material world through a recent title about available resources, an explainer on using soil for structures and a visit to the world’s leading trade fair for architecture, materials and systems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlotte McDonald-Gibson explores the largest women-owned piece of real estate in the US, which has played an important role in the history of the nation's capital. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomás Pinheiro describes the recent renovation of one of Okinawa’s Unesco World Heritage Sites after a devastating fire in 2019, as well as the history of reconstructions that this castle has undergone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.