In a world dominated by cost-benefit ratios, programmes and value engineering, it’s refreshing to read a report that recommends beauty, refuses ugliness and promotes stewardship. The emphasis on the need for the natural and built environment to work in harmony is timely, as people across the world try to understand what it is they can do to address the climate emergency.

Understandably, the Building Beautiful Commission’s report focuses on the design of buildings, which is where most of our lives are spent. However, equal if not greater importance must be placed on the spaces that connect buildings. In fact, with increasing levels of physical inactivity and social isolation, it’s essential to create streets that draw people out of their buildings.

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