The Urbanist

We visit Thomas Heatherwick’s often lambasted Vessel, in New York’s Hudson Yards development, to see whether pointed prose or people power is a better judge of character when it comes to unusual structures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We decamp to Prague to join the 1,000+ attendees at this year’s reSITE conference. Exploring the theme of regeneration, we bring you conversations and contemplations from some of the most interesting names in the urban-planning world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re off to Moscow to look at one of the best-known examples of Constructivist architecture: Moisei Ginzburg’s iconic Narkomfin building. Designed to embody the early-Soviet ideal of communal living but soon falling out of favour with the Kremlin, the building fell into disrepair until Ginzburg’s grandson Alexei led much-needed renovations in 2017. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cities are tasked with protecting their historic environments but how can they do this in a way that preserves the sites while keeping them accessible to the public? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cities are tasked with protecting their historic environments but how can they do this in a way that preserves the sites while keeping them accessible to the public?

We head to north Africa where we visit the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. Completed in 1993 after six years of round-the-clock work, this hulking structure can house 25,000 worshippers. With some ambitious features to go along with its hefty price tag, the mosque is a symbol of postwar Morocco and the reign of Hassan II. Monocle 24’s Melkon Charchoglyan tells us more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We head to north Africa where we visit the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca. Completed in 1993 after six years of round-the-clock work, this hulking structure can house 25,000 worshippers. With some ambitious features to go along with its hefty price tag, the mosque is a symbol of postwar Morocco and the reign of Hassan II. Monocle 24’s Melkon Charchoglyan tells us more.

As our cities grow, they face difficulties reconciling conservation and development. So how can we move forward while preserving the history of a place? This week we examine how heritage can be both a blessing and a curse for the urban environment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re off to Florence to admire a 16th-century monument in Piazza Santa Trinita. The Column of Justice, an 11-metre-tall granite column with a statue of Justice perched atop, has a particular positioning and peculiar history that tells us some truths about the relationship between art and the city. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We cast our eyes towards a few of the world’s most extreme cities, from an isolated Australian outpost to the heights of the Valley of Mexico, to assess how their unique challenges have shaped their urban environments. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.