The Urbanist

Tall Stories 525: Toronto’s eye-catching ‘Global Convenience’

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.

How the City Rail Link can rewrite Auckland’s future

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

Tall Stories 524: The silver-screen allure of Park Hyatt Tokyo’s New York Bar

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

How New York plans to reimagine its famous Fifth Avenue and its bus system

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

Tall Stories 523: The multipurpose magic of Hong Hong’s HSBC Building

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 info

How an all-women team reimagined condo design in Toronto

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 Shim

Tall Stories 522: Why is Turku Castle so important to the Finnish?

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 omnystudi

How to build a city? Focus on quality of life

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 Europ

Tall Stories 521: The murky future of Vancouver’s Kitsilano Pool

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.co

Finding a home for The Beatles’ Abbey Road crossing and London’s Museum of Youth Culture

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’ A

Tall Stories 520: Vienna’s art nouveau Tennisclub SV Schwarz-Blau

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

Designing a modern library that is relevant to people and place

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/l

Tall Stories 519: Exploring Caracas’ panoramic Humboldt Hotel

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.

Thomas Heatherwick on generosity in urban design and how to sustain a project’s momentum

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 o

Tall Stories 518: The past and present grow together at Chengdu’s West Village

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

How London’s South Bank has supported culture for 75 years

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 imagine

Tall Stories 517: How La Bulla is making itself heard in Veracruz

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/

How to support the ecosystems that make up our cities

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 t

Tall Stories 516: Beirut’s Sporting Beach Club

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-Leban

Designing for the future: how the technology sector impacts urban design

We find out how to make the buildings of the future serve the cities of today, with urban-friendly data centre design and reimagined technology districts. Plus: why is Si