In the context in which, through the European Union, there is a strong trend of deregulation of liberal professions, the effects of the inability to defend these professions in some European countries is devastating for the quality of construction and quality of life in general. The question is if the Market of building constructions, design market, entrepreneurial directions, state and private initiatives can adjust the quality of architecture and construction on their own or if something else is needed, something else that offers a certain stability and balance. If in some European countries, the profession of architect is protected as a liberal profession, in other countries, it seems to be available to anyone. Romania's case is paradigmatic.

Architect or non-architect, professional or non-professional, everyone can have the NACE/CAEN code 7111 for their own company, the code specific to the architectural activity in Romania. On the other hand, we dislike the local cities, but they are defined, in the end, by negotiating parts in which the professionals do not have the final decision. In Romania, the design of constructions seems to be done by specialists, but, in practice, it is subordinated to a totally different approach: the professional, the architect, the designer sometimes become an entity without the right of final decision in a company. So how to build the city? How do we get quality in architecture, urban planning and construction? The complexity and implications of building design have led the company to legislate that architectural solutions can only be delivered by specialized teams of architects, engineers, professionals in architecture, urban planning, design and construction. The reality shows us, however, that things are far from going that way. The design specialist is losing ground to empirical approaches, the effect of which, unfortunately, we all feel.

The 19th edition of Bucharest Architecture Annual 2021, AAB2021, raises an alarm signal on the decision conditions of the professional, a condition that determines the quality of the constructions in the local environment. We need to question the role of the architect, the construction specialist and the value of a quality environment. Legislative inconsistencies, approval stages, glossary of terms in architecture and construction, improvement of laws, research and technological innovations, carbon footprint, become topics of public debate in this edition of the Bucharest Architecture Annual, a debate and a think tank at national and international level about the role of the architect and the professional in today's society.