Monocle 24: The Urbanist

For the millions of yearly visitors to Los Angeles, there is one landmark that perhaps speaks most clearly of the glamour and the glories of North America’s film-making centre: the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Tomos Lewis goes on a stroll.

The 2016 race to the White House was one of the most divisive campaigns in modern US history. One year on, we assess US cities under Trump and ask if there’s a silver lining: are they taking charge of their own futures?

We head to Wellington to take a closer look at a particular wing of the New Zealand Parliament. Monocle contributor Clair Urbahn tells us the story of the Beehive.

It’s not all about pop-up cafés and gathering a couple of neighbours to set up a street market. Temporary urbanism can have a huge impact in cities, allowing planners to push some of their bolder and more unusual ideas through the bureaucracy of city hall.

This week we head to the small village of Laragh near the Irish border, to hear the story of a tin church that is enduring the test of time thanks to the community’s restoration work.

As New York enters the new year with murder figures at a record low, we look at criminality in the US. We’ve also got a public-transport tale of two cities – Athens’ wi-fi wrangle and London’s Tube triumph – and a review of the smart cities at CES 2018.

When one thinks of Dubai, one thinks of its grand gestures. Today we hear the story of one of its first skyscrapers, the Dubai World Trade Centre.

We start the year with a look back at the best Tall Stories of 2017: from statues, to a garden gate and even cycling in a city.

In this special programme, we bring you the best reports, most insightful interviews and the funniest moments from The Urbanist in 2017.

A special edition looking at how people around the world are helping their cities.

For this week’s Tall Stories, Monocle’s Hong Kong bureau chief takes us to the Pakistani capital to explore a Christmas market in 20-degree heat.

As homelessness rises in London, we hear about a train station turning into a shelter over Christmas. Plus: the Galápagos Islands’ growing population, Los Angeles’ first mobile bookstore and an audio essay about Berlin.

We look at how New York has evolved over the past 100 years. While some might complain about lost grit and gentrification, our bureau chief in the city Ed Stocker feels that they are missing the point and that, in the end, a safer New York is a more open New York.

What role do technology giants play in urban planning? And what do you love the most about your city? Plus: an audio essay on Venice’s troubled relationship with water.

Ho Chi Minh City is arguably most well known as being the site of one of the world’s most poignant political protests in the 1960s. But for modern-day visitors it is known for something more novel: scooters.