Book excerpt: As a project undertaken before, during and in the aftermath of a global pandemic, The Place Economy Volume 3 represents an increased appreciation of our need as humans for place and community. Spanning 80-plus stories, featuring the work of more than 100 global experts, you will find a celebration of the people, places and ideas that make cities great, alongside close examination of the barriers and challenges still facing communities in Australia and abroad. As with Volume 1 and 2, every story here presents compelling evidence of the better return on investment that occurs for developers and communities alike when insightful placemaking underpins a vision.