Dear friend of Monocle,
“What we’re trying to do is enhance people’s quality of life,” says Rasmus Alstrup. In my capacity as Monocle’s design editor, I often have the chance to speak to an amazing cast of designers – and the Danish landscape architect and director of Copenhagen-based firm SLA is no exception. We were chatting after last year’s Monocle Quality of Life Conference about the ingredients required for his work to be a success, whether it’s a parkland or a plaza. “You need to work on multiple levels: political, design and financial.”
According to Alstrup, improving one’s lot – and that of a community – requires players from across industries, professions and disciplines to combine in a manner that collectively uplifts. A landscape architect, it seems, is only as successful as the mayor setting design guidelines. And said mayor, in turn, is only as effective as the city comptroller’s purse strings allow. It’s this very theme – coming together across disciplines – that Monocle taps into and facilitates at our conference. |
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Dear friend of Monocle,
“What we’re trying to do is enhance people’s quality of life,” says Rasmus Alstrup. In my capacity as Monocle’s design editor, I often have the chance to speak to an amazing cast of designers – and the Danish landscape architect and director of Copenhagen-based firm SLA is no exception. We were chatting after last year’s Monocle Quality of Life Conference about the ingredients required for his work to be a success, whether it’s a parkland or a plaza. “You need to work on multiple levels: political, design and financial.”
According to Alstrup, improving one’s lot – and that of a community – requires players from across industries, professions and disciplines to combine in a manner that collectively uplifts. A landscape architect, it seems, is only as successful as the mayor setting design guidelines. And said mayor, in turn, is only as effective as the city comptroller’s purse strings allow. It’s this very theme – coming together across disciplines – that Monocle taps into and facilitates at our conference.
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Barcelona's public space is shaped by everyone from landscape architects to civic leaders |
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Barcelona's public space is shaped by everyone from landscape architects to civic leaders |
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For more than a decade the annual event has brought together leading designers – including Alstrup, who spoke at last year’s iteration – alongside a cast of movers and shakers whose work directly and inadvertently compliments theirs. In 2023 our speakers included a celebrated Munich bar owner who ran a cocktail masterclass alongside a city mayor who moonlights as a rock star; 2024 had a former senior CIA operations officer (who now advises cities and regions on security) next to a Swiss hospitality expert who had hot tips on ageing gracefully. |
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Mixing drinks in Munich with the team from Schumann's |
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It’s a similar grouping of speakers that Monocle will bring together at our conference in Barcelona this year. Running from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 September, guests will hear from designers, civic and health leaders, and specialists in security and wellness. It’s a line-up of speakers that will, as Alstrup says, work across multiple levels, fulfilling his view that to enhance quality of life, you need collaborative contributions from across disciplines and across the board. And that’s exactly why we’d love to have you, dear reader, join us. Add to the conversation across three days of debate, discussion and fine Catalan drinking and dining.
I look forward to seeing you in Barcelona.
Kind regards,
Nic Monisse
Design Editor
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For more than a decade the annual event has brought together leading designers – including Alstrup, who spoke at last year’s iteration – alongside a cast of movers and shakers whose work directly and inadvertently compliments theirs. In 2023 our speakers included a celebrated Munich bar owner who ran a cocktail masterclass alongside a city mayor who moonlights as a rock star; 2024 had a former senior CIA operations officer (who now advises cities and regions on security) next to a Swiss hospitality expert who had hot tips on ageing gracefully. |
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Mixing drinks in Munich with the team from Schumann's |
|
It’s a similar grouping of speakers that Monocle will bring together at our conference in Barcelona this year. Running from Thursday 4 to Saturday 6 September, guests will hear from designers, civic and health leaders, and specialists in security and wellness. It’s a line-up of speakers that will, as Alstrup says, work across multiple levels, fulfilling his view that to enhance quality of life, you need collaborative contributions from across disciplines and across the board. And that’s exactly why we’d love to have you, dear reader, join us. Add to the conversation across three days of debate, discussion and fine Catalan drinking and dining. I look forward to seeing you in Barcelona.
Kind regards,
Nic Monisse
Design Editor |
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