French studio XTU Architects has developed a concept for four twisting glass towers in Hangzhou, China, featuring facades covered in panels impregnated with micro-algae. More about XTU Architects proposes algae-covered towers for Hangzhou
Michael Van Valkenburgh and David Adjaye have won a competition to transform a riverside parcel in Downtown Detroit into a thriving public park, with plans for a beach, multiple pavilions and a small isle for roosting birds. More about David Adjaye and Michael Van Valkenburgh selected to transform Detroit's West Riverfront Park
LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne has left his post at the newspaper to advise the city council on architecture and planning decisions. More about Christopher Hawthorne leaves LA Times to become city's chief design officer
Scandinavian practice Henning Larsen Architects has unveiled plans to transform the east bank of the River Lagan in Belfast, Northern Ireland, using the redevelopment of Copenhagen harbour as a model. More about Henning Larsen Architects reveals £400 million Belfast waterfront masterplan
Zaha Hadid Architects has proposed creating a network of pedestrian routes across London to reintroduce walking as a viable form of transport in the city. More about Zaha Hadid Architects proposes pedestrianising London
The all-white panel of architects gathered by Woods Bagot to discuss Los Angeles' future urban development last week was misrepresentative of the city's diversity and needs, argues Janelle Zara. More about "To speak of entire communities without giving them a seat at the table reeks of arrogance"
The latest instalment of our Dezeen x MINI Living video series explores an unused space beneath a highway in Toronto, which is being overhauled to create a new park complete with an ice-skating track. More about Ice-skating trail transforms unused space beneath Toronto highway
North American cities are fiercely vying to secure Amazon's second headquarters, but will the retail giant really improve the culture and infrastructure of the area it finally chooses? Aaron Betsky doesn't think so. More about "Will Amazon's HQ2 actually be good for whatever city wins the race?"
Architecture firms Hassell and MVRDV have imagined a scheme featuring floating stadiums, emergency castles and pop-up restaurants, which aims to build resiliency to flooding in South San Francisco and foster the local community. More about Hassell and MVRDV devise "suite of adaptable structures" to combat Bay Area flooding
This drone footage shows the promenade along Chicago's riverfront, a year after its transformation by firms Sasaki and Ross Barney Architects into a public space with fishing platforms and kayaking spots. More about Drone footage captures bustling Chicago Riverwalk one year after completion
The Obama Presidential Center will be presented to the Chicago City Council today. But its proposed siting in the city's Jackson Park will both remove acres of public land and blight Fredrick Law Olmsted's historic landscape design, argues The Cultural Landscape Foundation president Charles A Birnbaum. More about "There is no need to destroy one significant cultural legacy in order to celebrate another"
Two Jordanian architects have devised a modular, easy-to-assemble system of street furniture to bring ad-hoc playgrounds to cities, refugee camps and other environments lacking in public space. More about Stackable Playscapes system transforms empty lots into playgrounds
A flood defence system devised by CF Møller in central Denmark will combine urban planning, climate change adaption and nature conservation. More about CF Møller's hybrid flood defences will create new nature park in Denmark
An interactive mapping tool provides a scary glimpse of how cities such as New York, Boston and Miami might end up if sea levels continue to rise. More about Surging Seas software shows potential impact of rising sea levels on US cities
Globalisation isn't killing the USA's backwater cities and rural areas, but rather turning them into escapes for wealthy "digirati" who are pumping money into regeneration projects, says Aaron Betsky in response to a New York Times article. More about "America's hinterlands now serve as playgrounds for the few wired haves"
Architecture studios COBE and BRUT have been selected to redesign the entrance to the European Union headquarters, with a proposal including a reflective doughnut-shaped canopy. More about COBE and BRUT chosen to create new entrance plaza for EU headquarters in Brussels
If sprawling desert metropolises like Phoenix, Arizona, are going to survive an increasingly scorching climate, they will require a different kind of sustainable urbanism than typical cities, says Aaron Betsky. More about "Is Phoenix doomed to fall back into the ashes?"
Architecture firms Elkus Manfredi and Sasaki have unveiled a masterplan to transform a parcel of land south of Boston into a smart city, the latest in a string to be announced for North America. More about Smart city planned for former US Navy airfield near Boston
Vienna's historic city centre has been put on UNESCO's danger list over plans for a high-rise development by Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld, which is to include luxury apartments, a hotel and skating rink. More about Isay Weinfeld high-rise puts Vienna UNESCO world heritage site under threat
A network of elevated pathways that takes tourists through paddy fields and over an 6,500-year-old archaeological site in China's Hunan Province has received the title of World Landscape of the Year 2017 at the World Architecture Festival awards. More about World Landscape of the Year 2017 goes to Chengtoushan Archaeological Park