The Urbanist

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.