Cities are often seen as the flipside of nature: synthetic, sleek and sometimes impersonal. For places that pine after being greener, the Solitair tree nursery provides a blueprint. Monocle travelled to the nursery in Belgium to discover the value of investing in the future.

From state-of-the-art evacuation slides to the perfect mid-flight chocolate mousse, Monocle Films samples the innovation on offer at the world’s leading trade fair devoted to enhancing the in-flight experience.

Monocle's annual round up of all that's innovative in transport – from welcome revivals to groundbreaking functionality and design.

To highlight the importance of provenance, Gillian Dobias visited Monocle Quality of Life Conference panelists David Hieatt in Wales, Catarina Portas in Lisbon and Kamal Mouzawak in Beirut – three inspiring role models for cities wanting to make the most of their heritage and create jobs.

High streets around the world are increasingly imperilled by the threat of online retailers and click-and-buy commerce. Ahead of our talk on the topic at Monocle's inaugural conference in Lisbon we devised a few simple fixes that urban planners should heed to keep bricks-and-mortar shops honest and interesting.

This month's Monocle Briefing film goes in search of the perfect bar of chocolate. In Cape Town, Tokyo and Chicago we sample sugar and spice and all things nice.

Cannes may be best known for its film festival but for those in the property business the city is famous for one event: Mipim. One of the world’s biggest property fairs, it draws a mix of developers, civic leaders and architects. Here are five key themes from this year’s show.

In a competitive world driven by technological advances, some artisan producers are staying resilient and challenging the mass-produced industry. Monocle films visits entrepreneurs in Istanbul, Cape Town and Mallorca who champion the art of craft.

Brands at this year’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie luxury-watch show in Geneva have been inspired by celestial bodies and the search for new materials – with designs that shoot for the stars.

Do you want to wear the best-made shoes in the world? Then you need to visit a quiet corner of France that has become the home of luxury shoe-making. Here's how it happened.