Yasser Elsheshtawy reflects on the hopes, dreams and realities of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale, and shares images and impressions from pavilions that ‘reported from below’.

John R Gold presents Olympic Cities - A story that is “as complex and multifaceted as the Olympic festivals themselves … provide at least three compelling, but seldom stated reasons as why the Games have persisted and indeed thrived over the last 120 years.”

David B. Brooks responds to our new Greywater issue of the Built Environment journal.

Prof Thomas Leslie of Iowa State Unviersity reviews Christian Menn's Bridges the book and reflects on these stunning works.

Stephen Marshall explores the architecture of life and future bio-inspiration for the Built Environment.

Prof DLA Gordon reflects on the 'suburban' nature of Australia in light of our recent issue of Built Environment 'Australian Cities in the 21st Centrury'.

Given the challenges of sustainable urban water, reaons to reuse and recyle our so-called 'greywater' is getting stronger says Jonathan Chenoweth, an author in our new issue on this theme.

Across the world massive urban expansion continues, but the limitations to developing our built environments have never been more ubiquitous. The question looms large across the built environment and other disciplines ‘is there such a thing as peak urban?’

As NASA receives a new habitation module, Stephen Marshall explores the "frontier-pushing opportunities where engineering merges with architecture and even urbanism..."

Australian Cities in the 21st Century: Suburbs and Beyond, issue 42(1) of the Built Environment journal, is out now in print and online. As ever we welcome feedback and further commentary, including Built Environment blogs and twitter.