Studio Gang has completed a fire station for Brooklyn's elite force that doubles as a simulation and training facility for extreme rescue situations. More about Studio Gang designs Brooklyn fire station to train elite firefighters
Architecture firm Rotative Studio has created three colourful temporary pavilions for reading and socialising in the Place du Marché square in Aigle, Switzerland. More about Rotative Studio brightens Swiss town square with modular wooden pavilions
Multidisciplinary design office The Open Workshop has created an experimental pavilion that proposes how Chicago's vacant public spaces could be used for communal living. More about The Center Won't Hold is a geometric pavilion designed to optimise public space
Art and design collective Flint Collective used neon lights to transform eight empty storefronts in New York for the Open installation, which is shortlisted in the architectural lighting design category of Dezeen Awards 2021. More about Flint Collective illuminates New York storefronts to form outdoor street installation
London's latest urban design trend involves commissioning a designer to paint a colourful pattern on a wall, road or bridge. Here are eight examples of polychromatic paint jobs from designers including Yinka Ilori and Camille Walala. More about Eight multicoloured paint installations that brighten up London
London-based artist Lakwena Maciver has painted a rarely used rooftop in bright colours and geometric shapes as part of a redevelopment of a London Underground station. More about Lakwena Maciver paints a "vision of paradise" on the roof of London tube station
Architect Petr Janda has transformed a series of vaults on the banks of the Vltava River in Prague into versatile public spaces as part of a project aimed at revitalising the embankment. More about Tunnel-like vaults house cafes and workshops along revitalised Prague waterfront
Toy designer Luca Boscardin has transformed his colourful line drawings of wild animals into abstract life-sized steel versions for a public playground in Amsterdam. More about Minimalist animal sculptures by Luca Boscardin form children's playground equipment
Sound artist and designer Yuri Suzuki has created Sonic Bloom, an interactive installation in London featuring a cluster of colourful horn-shaped speaking tubes through which people can communicate. More about Yuri Suzuki designs Sonic Bloom to connect people with the sounds of London
Professional basketball player Kofi Josephs and Birmingham graffiti artist Zuke have given a basketball court in Summerfield Park, Birmingham, a colourful refresh. More about Summerfield Park basketball court updated with colourful mural and geometric patterns
Architecture office ODA has proposed a rezoning plan for New York that would allow developers to build higher in return for turning private courtyards into public space. More about ODA proposes New York rezoning scheme to swap height restrictions for public space
London studio Twelve Architects has revealed its plan to transform the disused Castlefield Viaduct in Manchester into a "green oasis" reminiscent of New York City's High Line. More about Twelve Architects unveils plan for elevated park in Manchester
Local designer Yinka Ilori has created vibrant patterns for the first public basketball court in Canary Wharf, London's financial district, which features a 3D-printed floor. More about Yinka Ilori 3D prints Canary Wharf basketball court in rainbow colours
London studio Unscene Architecture explores how pubs, high streets and green spaces in the UK can be made more inclusive in the British Pavilion at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale. More about British Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale examines threats to public space
US studio James Corner Field Operations has won a competition to convert a kilometre-long section of disused railway in central London into "a garden in the sky" named the Camden Highline. More about New York High Line designer to create raised park on disused railway in Camden
Artist Marc Quinn has erected a sculpture of Black Lives Matter protester Jen Reid on the plinth in Bristol where the statue of a slave trader stood before it was torn down. More about Marc Quinn replaces statue of slaver Edward Colston with Black Lives Matter protestor
Engineering firm Arup has designed parklets, hybrid street furniture and planters to help Liverpool's restaurants reopen as the UK's coronavirus lockdown lifts. More about Arup designs parklets to help Liverpool's restaurants reopen during social distancing measures
Royal College of Art student Thomas Gossner has rethought the design of public, space-saving fold-out chairs, creating a swing-like seat made from a single sheet of thermoplastic. More about Thomas Gossner's wall-mounted Flair chair takes cues from plastic lunchboxes
Italian practice Caret Studio has installed the StoDistante installation in an Italian square to encourage social distancing as a temporary solution for reactivating public spaces after Covid-19 lockdown ends. More about Caret Studio installs gridded social-distancing system inside Italian piazza
Unparelld'arquitectes has turned four buttresses supporting a party wall in the town of Olot, Spain, into an arched public shelter that aims to "catalyse activity" on the street. More about Unparelld'arquitectes creates Emergency Scenery public performance backdrop in Olot