The Monocle Companion: Fifty Ideas for Building Better Cities

by Andrew Tuck (Editor), Nic Monisse (Editor)

Fifty Ideas for Building Better Cities is brought to you by the team behind Monocle magazine. The fourth in our Companion series of paperbacks, it is packed with fresh ideas on everything from the design of the perfect news kiosk to the need for a neighbourhood butcher, baker and candlestick-maker. Plus: take a lesson on planning and development from ancient civilisations and find tips from Tokyo on how to keep streets neat and tidy. Expect surprises, intrigue and insights about how to make your own patch more lively and liveable.

The Monocle Companion - let’s build better cities.

Genres: Urbanism, Essays, Nonfiction

210 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2024

Reviews

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought it last year from the Monocle Store on College Street West in downtown Toronto (​one of six Monocle stores​ globally with the others in London, Zürich, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, and Tokyo). And I love Monocle’s ethos of graphic design, culture, and travel together with their philosophy of being totally off social media and instead focusing on very human and analog-y outputs of ​print​, ​radio​, ​books​, and ​newsletters​. So what’s in the book? 50 loosely held-together ideas presented in accessibly tart essays which include “#12 Playgrounds for change” (“Residents should be annoyed if a crude graffiti tag appears on a new slide. They need to care if teenagers start littering a playground floor”) to “#19 The sensory city” (“The membrane of touchpoints and details that connect us to urban life on the surface—planting, seating, music, games—are being value-engineered out of existence”) to “#21 A Sky full of plants” (“Gustavo Gandini, a professor of animal genetics at the University of Milan, is tending to a lavender bush on his abundantly green seventh-floor terrace”). Some essays are lyrical like the four-page gem “#25 Why we need city laureates,” some articulate truths you may have felt before like “#31 The pedestrian manifesto,” and others provoke imagination and energy like “#34 Every city needs a fairground.” I like this book because it makes civic activism and political change feel … accessible. We can’t call the President but we can call our locals! We can protest! We can. We should. Sometimes, honestly, if you’re inclined to help then the old adage to “Think Global and Act Local” still applies. Whether it’s picking up trash at the park, joining a local group asking for change, or just collecting signatures for a set of speed bumps or a traffic light, this book offers a set of spurs and inspiration to help.

[Rens van de Plas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Onze steden kunnen beter, dat blijkt wel uit The Monocle Companion: Fifty Ideas for Building Better Cities. In vijftig korte essays zetten schrijvers, denkers en stedenbouwers uit de schuur van Monocle hun ideeën voor groenere, beter bereikbare en beter leefbare steden uiteen.

Ik zal niet beweren dat de essays allemaal even inspirerend zijn, maar het merendeel is wel fris. Essays over het belang van een uitkijkpunt, over hoe je de wereld beter op een fiets kunt verkennen en over het nut van bankjes in de openbare ruimte; stuk voor stuk zijn het goed geschreven, korte protestverhaaltjes over hoe het anders zou kunnen. Ik heb meermaals hevig ‘ja’ geknikt en ‘nee’ geschud tijdens het lezen en ik zou ambtenaren die op de afdeling openbare ruimte werken aanraden dit boek te lezen.

Het onderscheidende van dit boek is dat het geschreven is door vijftig totaal verschillende stemmen uit alle delen van de wereld. Dat brengt nieuwe blikken met zich mee en voorkomt dat we alleen met een westerse blik naar stedelijke ontwikkeling kijken. Ik moest soms even door het Engels heen bijten; een Nederlandse versie zou in de boekwinkels dan ook zeker niet misstaan.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very much up Caitlin's street. Short essays on city building? What's not to love.

[Caspar Bhalerao · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this book comprises 50 short and very readable essays on ideas around the design of urban life. Perhaps predictably, given that each piece is authored by a different person, I found some essays to be inspiring while others lacking the same edge.

I found it to be an enjoyable read to dip in and out of, with some thought-provoking ideas. My biggest criticism would be that many of the essays felt too brief to properly address their subject, which left them feeling a bit loose - although maybe to be expected with a compendium. In short, I think this would benefit with half the essays or being double the length.

The format of the book is rather nice, and the illustrations throughout are likewise endearing. However, given the paperback format (rather than Monocle’s typical magazine) it’s slightly disappointing, and cheapens it, to have a 25 page ad sandwiched in the middle.

Overall, despite the drawbacks I would recommend it as a relaxed read with some interesting threads to pull upon. I especially enjoyed essays: 28, 35, 37, 44, for the whimsical writing from a perspective of a park bench, a compelling argument of how we might target cultural investment through hip hop, why cycling is the best way to explore a city and thinking about the smell-scape of a place!