At Form + Place, every member of our team is challenged to find ways to actively engage in our broader community.  We strive to be thought leaders, not only by writing meaningful idea pieces about our communities but, by participating in philanthropic activities and hosting education forums on topics that shape the way we live. In the past year, we have led Technical Assistance Panels organized to brainstorm solutions to economic development and urban design challenges in a broad range of municipalities; we have led community forums to test the impacts of proposed zoning criteria on future development; we have donated our time to community events designed to connect kids and their families to the world of planning and architecture; we have actively engaged our community through participation on real estate advisory committees and local chamber of commerce committees; and we have collaborated on a national Urban Land Institute panel designed to explore the underlying tenets of “creative place-making.” Active engagement is one of the most fundamental ways for us to give back to the community and help to shape the current dialogue.