The Urbanist

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.

Victoria Park, a tranquil green space in Hong Kong, has long been a place for recreation. But since June it has taken on a different role: the park’s large open area was ground zero for anti-government protests. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Repurposing and renovation are crucial tools for implementing urban change. This week we look at the Battersea Power Station, hear about a new cultural hub, housed in a former clothes factory in Georgia and turn our gaze to Moscow too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take a final glance through the ‘Summer Weekly’ newspaper and wade into Vienna’s Old Danube. This inactive arm of the river is home to the Gänsehäufel, an island oasis dotted with lawns, beaches and pools that offer respite from the city’s soaring summer temperatures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do you define what’s necessary to meet a person’s basic needs? Some countries have been testing the concept of universal basic income – but how does it impact city living? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take another flick through the pages of our ‘Summer Weekly’ newspaper, this week visiting the hulking modernist flagship of Cuba’s state owned ice-cream brand Coppelia. It’s been serving scoops for more than half a century and has become a symbol of the nation’s resilient culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following one of the hottest summers on record, we look at the impact that rising temperatures are having on our cities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.