The Urbanist Málaga has transformed – but does its second act come at a cost?
Feb 26, 2026
Ian Wiley, Monocle reporter who toured Málaga speaking with artists, restaurateurs and the mayor. Jerome Frost, Arup CEO and urban planner with global regeneration experience. They discuss Málaga’s shift from port to cultural and tech hub, rising tourism and housing pressure, creative-sector displacement, electrification and transit-led public life, and upcycling buildings to cut carbon.
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Physical Design Shapes Social Outcomes
- Urban planning must combine disciplines and lived experience to shape social outcomes.
- Jerome Frost draws on upbringing around social work and housing renewal to argue physical design directly affects vulnerable people.
Localise Global Design Knowledge
- Do avoid cookie-cutter urban design and localise global knowledge for each place.
- Frost explains Arup operates as one global organisation to import diverse perspectives and then tailor solutions locally.
Electrification Changes How Cities Feel
- Electrification and connectivity are key levers for modern city vitality.
- Frost points to Shanghai's West Bund and EV infrastructure as examples that change how places feel, not just look.