Good design doesn’t mean bad economics: While investing in design might carry some extra costs, it’s a mistake to assume that these yield no economic benefits. The intangible wins of great design — be they improving productivity in workplaces, saving energy, or just simply creating a mentally stable population — can lead to bns in annual savings. In the US alone, the “economic value could be nearly $200 billion a year,” Lance Hosey, who authored The Shape of Green: Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design, writes for ArchDaily.

This makes a lot of sense: Elaborately and intelligently designed urban spaces not only reflect how rich a place is, but can also drive economic prosperity, says FORM Architecture Engineering. There’s a fine balance to be found between beauty and effectiveness. Buildings can be “beautiful and inspiring but … also durable and adaptable enough to retain their value over a long time.” This approach to design helps build what the Canada-based designer calls financial, human, and environmental capital.

Architects deserve a lot of credit: Besides promoting sound economics and a decent quality of life, great architecture creates a sense of spatial balance and “help[s] bring balance to people's lives,” says one blog post by DesignBlendz. Design innovation also reminds us of how far we’ve progressed, from huts and clay houses to spiraling structures.

A shining example of this theory at work is the Danish city of Aarhus. Aarhus’ municipality has had an official architectural policy in place since 2012, with a mission to become renowned for the quality of its contemporary architecture and urban space design. One of the city’s earlier projects, ‘The Iceberg’, is a unique seaside housing project that was both “high-impact” and economically efficient.