The expertise that architects and designers bring to the work and processes of government has significantly changed since the era when public works departments were engine rooms for the design and production of public buildings, housing and infrastructure. The dismantling of public works offices that coincided with the neoliberal turn in built-environment governance is often associated with diminished investment in civic architecture and the public realm. Yet there is an expectation that governments will be responsible custodians of the built environment and should play a fundamental role in setting standards and conditions for high-quality development. This dossier recognizes the need for a new understanding of the contribution that architects and designers are making to address this challenge from a diverse array of roles and positions in government.
The re-establishment of government architect (GA) positions as advisory roles at the turn of the millennium (see Figure 1) reflected a distinct shift in how governments influence the quality of the built environment.This has since
