Placemaking: an engaged approach to community wellbeing

For more than a century, improving the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities has been the cornerstone of the work of family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals. This began with our founder, Dr. Ellen Swallow Richards, and it continues today. As FCS professionals, we focus on helping people make wise, informed decisions about relationships, resources, and well-being as they work toward achieving an optimal quality of life (American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences [AAFCS], 2017). The Family and Consumer Sciences Body of Knowledge (FCS-BOK) model (Nickols et al., 2009), the driving force for our profession, includes the core concepts of basic human needs, individual well-being, family strengths, and community vitality. Thus, driven by our mission and the FCS-BOK model, we strive daily to optimize the well-being--and the quality of life--of those with whom we interface.