In the autumn of 2012, Kevin Murray Associates will be 10 years old, having launched at the Birmingham Urban Summit in 2002.

As part of our celebration of this landmark, we are sponsoring the Glasgow Jazz Festival 2012 in June and July. We already sponsor a range of charities and causes on an individual basis, but believe the Jazz Festival fits well with the philosophy and approach to our professional work.

Good urbanism is as much about social and cultural animation and experience, as about planning and place design, and we believe supporting the creative sector in this way also helps celebrate great places, like the award winning Merchant City, at the heart of Glasgow.

At a time when large scale capital investment in the physical fabric is considerably reduced (in both the UK and much of Europe), it has become even more important that we make the best use of the facilities in our towns, cities and villages. One obvious way is through the curation of events, activities and experiences that help us to appreciate what we have, in terms of culture and venues, and share it with others.

We are grateful to Glasgow Jazz Festival and Arts and Business Scotland for enabling this association. If you would like more details about the festival programme, please refer to www.jazzfest.co.uk.