Is architecture indeed a public matter? What makes it public? What agency does the architect have to empower architecture's publics? The Architect and the Public presents a range of original perspectives on the Canadian architect George Baird's theoretical work in connection with his teaching and design practice. Working across several media and cultural contexts, Baird played a significant role in the debate on architecture's meaning and appearance in light of the cultural and disciplinary changes that happened in the second half of the twentieth century in North America and beyond. This volume spans more than fifty years to construct the first collective critical reflection on his contribution to architectural discourse, in particular to the theory of the public in architecture and urbanism. Assembling previously unpublished archival material, essays, and interviews representing an intergenerational group of voices.