Defensive urban architecture is everywhere – if you know what you’re looking for. Specially designed window ledges, park benches and streetlights aim to influence behaviour in public spaces, but at what cost? And do these unpleasant creations unfairly target some people more than others?

It’s widely assumed that pragmatic elements, like a strong job or housing market, attract people to cities – but new studies show that vibrant cultural offerings, from galleries to club nights, are the real draw. How are lesser-known cities using creative clout to attract and retain residents?

Drawn to a warm climate, Southern hospitality and economic opportunity, 1.2 million people left the Northeast and Midwest for the Sun Belt states between 2010 and 2013. But how will this mass migration to the South shape America’s urban development, cultural diversity and economic future?

One Santa Fe is an LA-based apartment block of dense housing, but instead of building up, homes are spread across a site that’s a quarter of a mile long. With 25% of Americans not even knowing their neighbours' names, can a 'horizontal skyscraper’ recreate the social bonds of a close-knit community?