The Hague boasts work by numerous leading architects of the day, among them Koolhaas, Kollhoff and Moneo. A broad zone reaching from Central Station deep into the old town is the scene of major developments that are infusing new life into the city as never before. As City Urbanist to The Hague, Maarten Schmitt has been in charge of urban planning, architecture and public space design there for the past 11 years. Schmitt combines an international network of the architectural elite with an impassioned approach to city development. He accumulated his experience in Groningen while employed as City Architect from the mid-1970s on. Schmitt"s work shows the essence of city development is unrelated to trends in architecture and urban design; at its core lies the balance between program, form and spatial structure.