The Urbanist

From Manchester championing the decentralisation of design expertise to Toronto’s technique for getting more out of transit-oriented developments, we explore two planning concepts named after their home cities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomos Lewis takes us to a seemingly out-of-place public art installation currently floating on Lake Ontario. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We convene a roundtable discussion with Gosha Haley, Ludo Campbell-Reid and Gyles Bendall on the future of Auckland, as the metropolis prepares for a new era of mobility with the City Rail Link. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gendel Gento explores a recently refurbished hotel bar in Tokyo, which is a must-visit for cinephiles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak with Madelyn Wils, who is heading up an overhaul of Fifth Avenue, and New York transportation commissioner Mike Flynn about rethinking bus transit. Plus: Alison Donnally from JoeyCo on live-work arrangements. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomas Pinheiro takes us to a Hong Kong tower built for banking that now plays many different roles for the city’s residents. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Heather Rolleston from BDP Quadrangle about the firm’s recent condo development in Toronto, which was brought about by an all-women team. Plus: architect Shimul Javeri Kadri explains the idea of “storytelling architecture”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petri Burtsoff takes us to Finland’s oldest building, which has become a symbol for Finns and is one of the most visited sights in the country to this day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Journalist and author Gabriella Bennett discusses her recent book ‘How To Build A City: Journeys into the Urban Future’. Plus: we take a dip at the Swimmable Cities European Forum in Basel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gregory Scruggs takes us to Vancouver’s Kitsilano Pool, a saltwater bathing spot whose future is uncertain due to its desperate need for refurbishment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look at the new home for London’s Museum of Youth Culture, a Chicago collective who embeds cultural venues into neighbourhoods and traffic solutions for The Beatles’ Abbey Road crossing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexei Korolyov takes us to one of Vienna’s most architecturally stunning tennis clubs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We review a new library project in Oregon, learn about a system helping Swedish city-dwellers share and find out how to build sticky neighbourhoods. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gustavo Ocando Alex tells us the story of Hotel Humboldt, which sits on the northern hills of Caracas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We assess two long-running London projects: Thomas Heatherwick joins us to talk about Olympia; while Nick Watson outlines the decades of progress at Elephant Park. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomás Pinheiro takes us to West Village in Chengdu to see how local vernacular and modern-day needs go hand in hand in this megaproject. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The CEO of South Bank Employers’ Group discusses how the area’s institutions work together to help each other flourish. We also speak to the author of a book that imagines a post-carbon future for our cities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Verity de Cala takes us to La Bulla in Mexico’s coastal city of Veracruz to see how this park redevelopment project is impacting the local community. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We consider the relationship between our cities and nature as we explore the sponge city concept and learn how our buildings can be kinder to birdlife. Plus: we head to the Finnish city sprinting for carbon neutrality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noor Amylia Hilda visits a gallant collection of concrete platforms and saltwater pools on Beirut’s coast that has outlasted the Lebanese Civil War, the 1982 Israel-Lebanon war and economic crises. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.