“Great places have the power to fire the imagination of their citizens.”

For generation after generation, in many different cultures and in many different climates, people came together and created places that uniquely reflected their collective needs.

And then we lost the art of placemaking.

Without it, the life of the individual is blighted, the life of the community is stillborn and the future of the planet is jeopardised.

With it, people can find expression for their own creativity, communities can develop their own vision and leadership and the planet can be secured for the enjoyment of future generations.

Great places are the result of an appropriate and legible ordering of space for the purpose of personal and public exchange – social, cultural, spiritual and economic, in a way that enhances the life of both the individual and the Community.

Great places have the power to fire the imagination of their citizens. No one can create them on their own. If, collectively, we are to create them once again, we must first share a common view.

This is the mission of the Academy.