We the architects,

in order to form a more perfect union of rectilinear forms and orderly plans, do, on this day, collectively (and sometimes individually) declare our independence from the scourge of thoughtless design.

Today, we, the tired few, the darkly clad champions of all that is good and balanced, stand together, united against the forces that threaten our very livelihood, and the very sanctity of the human condition.

Today, together:

We stand against the careless planning of miserly profit-mongers pulling the coins out of the people’s pockets in exchange for shoddy craftsmanship, and lack-luster design.

We stand against the sprawling wasteland of economic development in the name of profit.

We stand against the tyranny of shortsightedness.

We stand against the false facades of short-term prosperity.

We stand against the overly complex.

We stand against the over simplified.

We stand against the easy solution, hastily implemented in the name of efficiency, or economy.

We stand against the incoherence in the misguided placement of ill-thought-out programs.

We stand against all that misshapes and distorts the form of the city, or the town, or the neighborhood.

We stand against the repetitions of simplified forms clustered along a poor representation of what we could become.

We stand against form for form’s sake.

And instead, we join together, today, on this bright day in July to:

Affirm our belief in the possibility of discovery.

We affirm the potential of our imagination.

We affirm the purity of creative thought.

We affirm the value of endless questioning, and tireless exploration.

We will embrace the unknown, in search of the possible.

We affirm, and accept, and even revel in the continuous, convoluted process of discovery that is the essence of all creative endeavors.

We will blindly, and boldly, and belligerently aspire to more than will be required of us.

We will find, an eloquent solution, that surprises, and delights, and inspires us all to be better than we are.

We will leave this place better than we found it.

We will describe the breath of our culture, within built form.

We, the architects, will carefully, patiently, meticulously, and skillfully craft the places to define us all.

We, the architects, will give physical form to that which makes us human, and buried inside our work will be a small reflection of our own humanity, and of our hopes for a better world.

Today, we the architects declare our independence, from those that would have less than we could have, and affirm our commitment to aspire to the highest passions of mankind.

Because,

We are the architects.

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The photo of Independence Hall is by jsalvino and has been used under the creative commons license. Original photo can be found here.