On the occasion of a workshop organised as part of the 2023 UIA World Congress of Architects, the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) and the Region I of the International Union of Architects (UIA Region I) released a joint publication entitled ‘High-quality Architecture and Built Environment: a Political Goal’.

This publication puts the spotlight on recent policy initiatives, at EU and national levels, that support a high-quality architecture and built environment, as well as Baukultur.  It also presents ACE and UIA reference documents – policy positions, publications, guidelines – that call for a comprehensive and culture-centred approach to the built environment. High-quality Baukultur is about society’s responsible handling of its built environment and its architecture.

It requires and implies an increased participation of society in care for, and development of, the built environment, but also quality-based processes throughout the life-cycle of projects. Baukultur is a holistic approach, which cares for and seeks to achieve a sustainable society, with quality of life and collective well-being for all.

This comprehensive approach needs to be embraced by politicians and embedded in public policies, funding programmes and relevant laws. We hope this booklet will be useful to professional institutions and architects and contribute to inspire architects and politicians from all over the world to implement high-quality architecture principles in public policies.

Author: ACE/ UIA

Date: 2023

Disclaimer: The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsment of the contents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein