Monocle 24: The Urbanist

They are the buildings that were meant to be Utopian visions of tomorrow but what does that mean today? In this episode of 'The Urbanist' we look at once future-perfect designs to learn which idealists guessed right.

How'd that get built? City-building at its best is innovative, democratic and aesthetically on point but that’s sadly not always the case. This week’s episode of *The Urbanist* looks at cathedrals of corruption, building blunders and just plain ugly additions to our cityscapes – how do these things get built?

City renewal is sometimes a luxury but other times an urgent necessity. In this powerful episode of ‘The Urbanist’ we cover both perspectives looking at changes to the skyline of Istanbul and how Banda Aceh rebuilt after the devastating tsunami of 2004.

We find out how digital currencies can change the way transactions are made in cities, speak to the man with a plan to renovate Vienna, have a preview of Milan’s upcoming World’s Fair and feature a special interview from the Atlantic Dialogues.

We ask why there are so few women in planning and architecture, listen in on the preservation debate in Dallas and get a special report on Turin, a city quickly transforming itself for the better.

Over the course of 60 minutes we bring you some of the most enlightening, colourful and curious moments from the year that was 2014 on *The Urbanist*.

Lessons from 2014: we wrap up a good year for cities with Monocle correspondents based in Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo. Plus, a report on Toronto’s laneways and a look at what might be the biggest change to hit city roads in more than a century.

Visionaries: we meet the man trying to boost the public use of New York’s landmark galleries and museums, learn how London would look if it were a national park and find out what Belgrade stands to gain if some cinema-loving activists get their way.

From promotional campaigns and place branding to TV stations and an app connecting Parisians, we find out how cities get their messages across. Plus we take a stroll through Washington DC’s Capitol Hill.

Made in: we check out an organisation pushing to unite manufacturers in Copenhagen, former industrial sites in east London and Belgrade's design district. Plus: a traditional Hong Kong printing house and a catch-up with Gehl Architects

Inside story: parks and plazas are obvious public spaces but when the weather gets a little less pleasant, what are our indoor equivalents? From underground pathways to open and airy libraries, we take a look at what public space looks like on the inside. Plus, a special interview with NY planning commissioner Carl Weisbrod.

Laws of attraction: what makes you love a certain neighbourhood or street? This week we have a look at the design competition for Helsinki's proposed Guggenheim museum, wander around Barcelona's Gothic quarter, chat with New York's deputy mayor and make a quick stop in Belgrade.

Atlantic Dialogues: we hit the road and report from this year’s Atlantic Dialogues event in Marrakech, including interviews with the mayor of Rotterdam, the former mayor of LA, and we discuss the goals of the Ford Foundation.

Water: this week we talk about one of the most essential elements in any urban environment and visit cities using water to their advantage. We also learn why others are battling over it, explore some of the world’s lost rivers and take a reluctant closer look at sanitation.

From ridding ourselves of cars and making sure every last takeaway cup is recycled to simply avoiding chaos, we explore the ideas of those addressing the future of our cities.