Tall Stories 480: Johannesburg City Library

Charlotte McDonald-Gibson uncovers the modern story behind the US capital’s most infamous building.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What role does public art play in how we engage with our cities? This week we meet acclaimed artist Olafur Eliasson and explore the Sculpture in the City programme in the City of London.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alexei Korolyov takes us to the former site of one of Budapest’s largest flour mills, which has been reborn as a lively cultural hub.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We discover how good design can help the nursing shortage in the United States, learn about Helsinki’s annual herring market and hear how Norway is developing urban robot farming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elna Schütz finds a peaceful stopping-off point amid the urban hustle and bustle at the city library of South Africa’s busiest metropolis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We look at the Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative teaching mayors how to tackle their cities' challenges, talk about UN-Habitat's global call to action on housing and report from Expo Real and Diriyah.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inzamam Rashid tells us how an advertising partnership helped to shape the identity of a burgeoning Dubai.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We meet Dror Benshetrit, founder of The Bioplanning Institute, who’s reframing urbanism through an ecological design lens. Plus: how the Bundanon Art Museum in Australia teaches cities to better interact with the natural world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us for a special episode in partnership with IPUT, Dublin’s leading property-investment company. We meet chief executive Nial Gaffney to talk about building community and setting new benchmarks for cities in Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomás Pinheiro takes us to a space in Rio de Janeiro that brings together all the best offerings from Brazil’s northeastern region and is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.