In this week's comments update, readers are discussing plans to build a linear city in Saudi Arabia and sharing their views on other top stories. More
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, has unveiled plans for a 100-mile belt of zero-energy walkable communities for a million people. More
Hackney in east London is committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2040 but some residents are up in arms about initiatives to reduce car use. Dezeen spoke to Jon Burke, the councillor charged with delivering the controversial programme. More
Five architecture students from the University of Oregon present their visions of a Centre for Democracy and Environmental Justice to repair "damaged urban context" in this VDF school show. More
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
French designer Marlène Huissoud asks humans to "Please Stand By" with her first chairs, which are designed to be refuges for insects. More
A "raincoat" designed by architecture studio Partisans to protect pavements in harsh weather is among a series of prototypes that Alphabet company Sidewalk Labs has revealed for its smart city in Toronto. More
Construction has begun on Alárò City, which is being masterplanned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, as an extension to Lagos in southwest Nigeria. More
Mexico-based creative studio MaliArts has designed a series of three structures for solitary bees living in built-up areas to help welcome nature into urban environments. More
Germany's national rail operator has announced plans to play atonal music in a Berlin station, in an attempt to deter criminal activity. More
Leeds Beckett University graduate James Hughes has made a bench with metal spikes embedded in its seat to highlight issues surrounding hostile urban design. More
A mossy "living wall" with the pollution-absorbing power equivalent to hundreds of trees has been installed in London's Piccadilly Circus in a bid to combat the city's unsafe air quality levels. More
Renault has devised a concept for an autonomous, electric vehicle that would provide city dwellers with an alternative to public transport. More
The revival of great urban centres including New York, Los Angeles and London has caused unprecedented inequality and has led to the populism of Donald Trump, according to Richard Florida. More
Danish firm Henning Larsen Architects has won a competition to design a group of buildings in Toronto, with a proposal that channels wind to create a comfortable microclimate in a central plaza. More
Facebook has announced that architecture firm OMA will masterplan a new village for the area adjacent to its Frank Gehry-designed campus in Menlo Park, California. More
Local authorities have been "amazed to see that young women from slums could design as architects or urban planners", according to the co-ordinator of a United Nations initiative using the video game Minecraft to get communities designing their own public spaces. More
To revitalise a residential district in Newark, New Jersey, local firm Ikon.5 Architects has created a neighbourhood facility featuring basketball courts and classrooms for professional development. More
A new type of modular tile promises to help reduce flooding in cities hit by increased rainfall due to climate change. More
Stackable football pitches could be erected on disused or temporarily empty plots across London, according to Amanda Levete and her London-based studio AL_A. More
