The Urbanist – Málaga has transformed – but does its second act come at a cost?

Podcast: The Urbanist
Host: Andrew Tuck (Monocle)
Date: February 26, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of The Urbanist examines the complexities of urban transformation, focusing on two stories featured in Monocle's March issue. First, the show features a conversation with Jerome Frost, CEO of global engineering firm Arup, on the intersections of design, technology, and social usefulness in city-making. The spotlight then shifts to Málaga, Spain, a city that has radically reinvented itself from a functional port to a cultural and tech hub. The episode explores how Málaga's success is being managed—and what is at stake for residents, artists, businesses, and policymakers as property values and tourism boom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Collaboration, Context, and Social Usefulness in Urban Design

Segment: 00:11–16:45

Jerome Frost (CEO, Arup) in conversation with Josh Fennert

• Urban Planning as Conductorship
  Frost likens the urban planner’s role to a conductor, orchestrating diverse disciplines ("No one discipline is going to solve the problems of a city" – [01:46], Frost).
• Personal Roots in Social and Physical Planning:
  Growing up with a social worker mother and quantity surveyor father shaped Frost’s sense of how environments impact social outcomes. Arup, he says, strives for “social usefulness” in all projects ([01:46], Frost).
• Rejecting the 'Great Man' Narrative & One-Size-Fits-All Design
  Frost and Fennert critique traditional European design heroes and universal solutions:

  “There are lots of different ways to live in them. How hard is it to get away from the idea of good design form, fox function, one size fits all solutions?”
  — [02:50], Josh Fennert

• Local Expertise, Global Knowledge Transfer
  Importance of bringing global perspectives to local challenges—Arup’s global reach allows sharing solutions across borders ([03:25], Frost).
• Case Study: Electrified Urban Renewal in China
  • West Bund, Shanghai: Conversion of industrial sites into vibrant, electrified, mixed-use districts; quieter and cleaner due to electric transport ([04:43], Frost).
  • Lesson: Export lessons from such transformations to other cities whose aging buildings need upgrading.

Balancing Beauty, Grit, and Function

• Beauty and urban 'grit' are highlighted as essential for cities to be “lovable”:

  “It can be efficient, but it’s got to be lovable. And that sometimes involves beauty and a bit of grit as well.”
  — [06:35], Fennert

• King’s Cross, London and Copenhagen’s Metro cited as examples where heritage, new infrastructure, and livability come together ([07:12], Frost).

Cities, Connectivity, and Technology

• Electrification, connectivity, and the ‘human condition’ are keystones for future-ready cities.
• Example: Copenhagen Metro—raising tunnels and simplifying stations to integrate modern transport with historic city fabric ([08:18], Frost).

Resilience, Security & AI

• Safety, both psychological and physical, is vital:
  “For people to enjoy a city environment, they need to feel safe… it is resilient, it’s resilience to change.” ([09:45], Frost)
• AI tools now model human response to disruptions and predict city system needs ([10:59], Frost).

Upcycling Aging Skyscrapers

• 40,000 towers worldwide are due for renewal—not demolition but “upcycling” (“We saved 65% of the structure and 90% of the core and saved a huge amount of carbon”, e.g. Circular Quay Tower in Sydney – [11:15], Frost).

AI in Urban Design

• AI enables mining of Arup’s vast project history to inform live and future projects.
  “AI adds this additional opportunity to delve into a knowledge base which, frankly, the human brain is not yet capable of doing.” ([13:27], Frost)

If Jerome Frost Were 'Global Mayor' for 2026:

• “The age of assumption is dead.”
• Encourage curiosity, challenge old solutions with new technology and global-local knowledge transfer ([15:04], Frost).
• Focus on electrification, connectivity, and always designing for the human condition.

2. Málaga: Transformation, Tensions, and The Question of 'For Whom?'

Segment: 16:45–31:22

Ian Wylie on the Ground in Málaga

• Rapid Transformation
  • Málaga has gone from a “gateway” to the Costa del Sol to a major cultural, tech, and tourism destination ([17:30], Wylie).
  • 26 million+ airport passengers, €21 billion in tourism spending, and soaring property prices.
  • The city’s challenge has shifted from attracting growth to managing it.

  “This is no longer a city chasing growth, it’s a city trying to manage it.”
  — [17:30], Wylie

Local Artists and Rising Costs

• Andrea Reina, painter:
  • Inspired by Málaga’s light, landscape, and poetry ([18:35], Reina).
  • Notes support for artists via municipal initiatives, but high housing costs make it difficult to live independently:

    “Artists here are really helped by other artists. And also tourism is … great for us… But I think sometimes Málaga is forgetting about artists, sometimes local artists… I live with my mother and I can’t afford any other thing here.”
    — [19:39], Reina

Independent Dining and Tourism Pressures

• Cristina and Anna Canovas, Paladu (Michelin-starred) restaurant:
  • Moved their restaurant to the city center for better tourist footfall, but note the area’s food scene is rarely truly local ([21:35], Cristina Canovas).
  • Staff recruitment and affordability are growing issues:

    “All the things are more expensive with the local malagueño, like houses, like supermarkets. Everything is so expensive and local customers don’t stay outside all day. The problem is with the staff too, because people can’t work here because it’s too expensive.”
    — [21:54], Cristina Canovas

Interview with Mayor Francisco de la Torre

• Longtime mayor (25 years), championed the city’s transformation:
  • A strategy focused on culture, incremental investment in the public realm and walkability.
  • But now, growth’s shadow: record hotel occupancy (84%) and rising cruise tourism bring congestion and anxiety.
  • Solution: quality over quantity in tourism; freeze on new tourist apartment licenses and a planned tax on short-term rentals to aid renters:

    “What is the solution? To attract especially not many tourists, but the high quality, the excellence, tourism of quality. That is the best solution.”
    — [22:30], de la Torre

  • Ambitious plan: transform the Guadalmedina riverbed into a green corridor, pending substantial funding ([25:50]).

Architect and Urbanist Critiques

• Salvador Moreno Peralta (architect & longtime adviser):
  • Praises Málaga’s international “branding” and cultural investments.
  • Criticizes the transformation of city centers into urban theatre for tourists, not residents—locals are “extras” rather than protagonists ([25:55], Peralta).
  • Warns the historic core risks being hollowed out; the city should broaden its focus to the wider metropolitan area.

Education & Tech as New Pillars

• Stephane Ruiz, director, ESKA Business School:
  • Málaga chosen for quality of life and burgeoning tech scene ([27:24], Ruiz).
  • Sees gentrification and administrative inertia as current bottlenecks—notes apartment prices have doubled in 10 years due to tourist rentals ([28:17], Ruiz).
  • Advocates expanding beyond tech to multi-unit HQs for lasting prosperity.

Media Perspective

• Neil Hesketh, local journalist:
  • Describes Málaga’s “dizzying” resurgence and pride in its progress.
  • Reflects on the city’s forgotten status until recent years; says new leadership must emerge to steward its next phase:

    “Job well done. But who’s next?”
    — [30:58], Hesketh

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The role of an urban planner, I think, is to be somewhat that conductor… No one discipline is going to solve the problems of a city.”
  — Jerome Frost, [01:46]
• “It can be efficient, but it’s got to be lovable. And that sometimes involves beauty and a bit of grit as well.”
  — Josh Fennert, [06:35]
• “For people to enjoy a city environment, they need to feel safe… I actually think a lot of that is a psychological condition as much as it is a physical.”
  — Jerome Frost, [09:45]
• “The age of assumption is dead… Challenge the assumption and move forward from that point.”
  — Jerome Frost, [15:04]
• “This is no longer a city chasing growth, it's a city trying to manage it.”
  — Ian Wylie, [17:30]
• “Sometimes Málaga is forgetting about artists, sometimes local artists… I live with my mother and I can’t afford any other thing here.”
  — Andrea Reina, [19:39]
• “Everything is so expensive and local customers don’t stay outside all day… people can’t work here because it’s too expensive.”
  — Cristina Canovas, [21:54]
• “What is the solution? … Attract especially not many tourists, but the high quality, the excellence, tourism of quality. That is the best solution.”
  — Francisco de la Torre, [22:30]
• "Locals are no longer neighbors, but extras in some kind of urban theatre production."
  — Salvador Moreno Peralta, [25:55]
• “Job well done. But who’s next?”
  — Neil Hesketh, [30:58]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Role of an Urban Planner and Social Usefulness — [00:11–02:50]
• Critique of Universal Solutions and Embracing Diversity — [02:50–04:28]
• Case Study: Electrified Shanghai & Global Knowledge Sharing — [04:28–06:35]
• Beauty, Grit, and the Human City — [06:35–09:32]
• Security, Resilience, and Tech — [09:32–10:59]
• Upcycling Skyscrapers & Global Urban Renewal — [10:59–12:48]
• AI and Urban Design Intelligence — [12:48–14:50]
• The 'Global Mayor' Vision for 2026 — [14:50–16:45]
• Malaga: Transformation, Tourism, and Housing Pressures — [16:45–22:20]
• Mayor de la Torre, Managing Growth and Policy — [22:20–25:50]
• Architectural Perspective & Urban Core vs. Region — [25:50–27:13]
• Education, Tech Hub Status, and Gentrification — [27:13–29:16]
• Media View: Pride, Change, and the Next Generation — [29:16–31:22]

Tone and Language

Throughout, the tone is thoughtful, optimistic, but clear-eyed regarding the trade-offs of rapid growth and the socioeconomic “cost” of urban success. Frost and Tuck are measured and analytical; the Málaga segment blends journalistic observation with direct, sometimes poignant testimony from artists, restaurateurs, civic leaders, and observers—all expressing a complex pride tinged with worry about displacement and identity.

Final Thoughts

The episode leaves listeners with a nuanced perspective: Great city-making is collaborative, rooted in curiosity, and must balance global best practices with fiercely local needs. Málaga’s story is emblematic—a success with consequences, a city “woken up” but now needing to decide not just how to grow, but for whom.