Léon Ernest Krier (1946–2025)

Léon Krier, the Luxembourg-born architect and fierce critic of modernist planning, died on 17 June 2025 in Palma de Mallorca, aged 79.

Best known as the master planner of our own Poundbury, Krier believed cities should be beautiful, walkable, and human-scaled. His traditionalist vision—once derided as nostalgic—became a central influence in the New Urbanism movement.

Krier left Stuttgart’s architecture school early to join James Stirling’s London practice in 1968, later teaching at the Architectural Association. His 1984 book Houses, Palaces, Cities laid out his critique of zoning and sprawl, advocating instead for mixed-use neighbourhoods rooted in classical design.

Beyond Poundbury, he worked on urban schemes in Florida, Guatemala, and Europe. Some proposals—like a utopian city in Tenerife—remain unbuilt, but his ideas shaped architectural debate for decades.

Krier received the inaugural Driehaus Prize in 2003 and was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. He is survived by his wife, Irene Stillman, and was predeceased by his brother Robert.

His last contribution to Poundbury was to design the plinth for Stephen Pettifer's statue of the Roman goddess Ceres in Coade Square. To see his Leon Krier’s legacy, however, all we have to do is look out of the window; what an extraordinary privilege for those of us lucky enough to live here. 

He is pictured here during a visit to Poundbury with the King on 27June 2023. (With thanks to CAofP member Henry Dodds for writing this piece and for the picture)