Choosing what type of legacy to leave behind is tricky and, from property to penmanship, varies from trade to trade. In this issue we present the key players making a mark on our cities and – with a new survey, report and other pages – forge a footprint of our own.

With Nato handing control of its airfields to Afghanistan and the impoverished nation seeking foreign investment, is the Afghan economy about to take off?

How do you make sense of a hugely publicised and entirely unpredictable event? Monocle meets five discerning media figures, from Washington to Des Moines, who are busy covering the roller coaster otherwise known as the US presidential election campaign.

A sizeable carpool for Bosnia's leaders, impressive life expectancy in Spain and too many bears in Italy.

We catch up with Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail. Plus: Argentina's energy and palm oil in Colombia.

Hong Kong's housing cremation urns, India's urban centres and Southeast Asia's Russian beach time.

How Senegal's president Macky Sall is reforming the country. Plus: Somalia's new dosh.

We learn the latest about education fees in New Zealand and ponder the power of tourism in Perth.

A new lease of life in Lisbon's neighbourhood of Marvila and Beirut's lack of green space.

Checking in with the Canadian Armed Forces and meeting the Norwegian ambassador in Iceland.

In Portugal, one swallow doesn’t make a summer: thousands of them do. Ceramic versions of the small bird are produced in huge numbers every year and feature on or in most Portuguese homes. Why the avian allure?

This year’s World Design Capital has much to showcase. Its new mayor is keen to advance the city’s liberal credentials, cultivate a creative class and put a stop to the exodus of young talent. How far can Ko Wen-je go?

Milan is synonymous with high fashion and luxury brands. But away from the limelight it is also home to artisanal clothing and accessory firms that underpin the city’s standing as a global capital of style. Monocle meets the makers.

As foreign investment and repatriation abound, the capital cities of the Philippines, Mexico and Iran are enjoying a second life.

In a new regular feature we identify a gap in the market and set out a plan for filling the niche. Here we head for Scotland to find out what it would take to establish a refined food retailer.

A family firm that has become one of Asian retail’s biggest hitters has equally strong ambitions abroad. With its portfolio of European department stores, Central Group is confounding critics and giving new life to historic shopping destinations.

Andreas Murkudis embodies the serenity that permeates his conceptual retail spaces. With the possibility of another Berlin outpost on his mind, we discover how the unflappable pastor of fashion and design manages his staff and keeps his cool.

Estonia’s sizeable Russian community has a new dedicated public broadcaster: ETV+. But will the channel help to improve its audience’s sometimes uneasy relationship with the country at large?

The original and ultimate status update, portraiture has a long history that poses rich insights into both the portrayer and the portrayed. Contemporary artists Gavin Turk and Peter Blake talk about their approach to the form.

With its central-European soul and Italian accent, this Adriatic port could easily have an identity crisis. Trieste, however, is used to occupying the space between one culture and another, as its unique film festival demonstrates.

Austrian rural-living magazine ‘Servus in Stadt & Land’ is a showcase for just how the public’s thirst for ink is being stirred and sated. Monocle meets the title’s creative team to discover the simplicity in its success.

There is plenty of music in the Middle East but how do you hear it? Two entrepreneurs are launching English-language platform Dandin to help promote talent in the region; from protest songs to perfect pop, it’s an online revolution.

Chicago’s venerable architectural history has been in danger of weighing heavy on the city’s current crop of architects but now new buildings – and the regeneration of existing ones – are strengthening social foundations.

Denmark’s ceramics used to take pride of place on the global mantelpiece but the industry was in danger of crumbling. Happily, a new generation has gone back to the potter’s wheel to revive the aesthetics and artistry of old.

Nordic design gets some colours. Plus: a new fire station in Gresham and a book about Lebanese cinema posters.

In 1943 two Argentinian architects built a radical apartment block in Buenos Aires that would redefine the communal living space. Decades later the modernist marvel is still the glue that holds its inhabitants together.

This April we shower you with well-made ephemera, including a Canadian gin, Nordic planters and Swiss sundries, plus a handsome set of travel guides and some desirable deskware.

Precisely nipped and tucked, Kiiya’s handmade mannequins are head and shoulders above the rest.

We sample seafood at a one-time grocery store and try mezze at a former 1950s beauty salon that’s now a Turkish taverna. There’s even time to wet your whistle with some lively Italian aperitivos. Don’t worry about breakfast either: we’re serving some stirring options.

We break bread with the hospitality heavyweight behind the Soho House group – and touch on the joys of undercooked sprouts.

From regularly refreshed department stores to dedicated dog buggies, Japan revels in the retail details. Tyler Brûlé explains why nobody does it better and looks ahead to our next Quality of Life Conference.

Tokyo’s Isetan department store has found success by treating its customers like royalty and turning shopping into an experience. Monocle hands over its credit card to a kimono-clad sales associate.