Three commitments, one practice.

Planning decisions have long concentrated resources and influence in some communities while leaving others out. We treat equity as an operational discipline: compensating community members for their time, partnering with trusted local organizations to reach underserved and underrepresented populations, and writing recommendations that address displacement and exclusion rather than just describe them. An inclusive process is what makes equitable outcomes possible.

How we grow and get around is a primary driver of climate impact. Our scenario planning and development policy work helps communities grow into compact, walkable, mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhoods — curbing sprawl and the loss of surrounding farm and natural lands. Our environment and climate work — urban forestry, tree-canopy equity, climate action plans, and natural-lands planning — weaves nature through the city and broadens equitable access to it. We believe cities and towns can be dynamic, livable places that are also equitable, low-impact, and resilient.

We’re driven by a vision of equitable, sustainable places — and clear-sighted about the obstacles to reaching them. We harness market realities for good: using economic rigor to make equitable, sustainable outcomes financially real, not just aspirational. Our plans, codes, and strategies are written for adoption and execution — market feasibility tested with pro forma, codes drafted with the development review process in mind. Successful city-building needs public and private actors working together, which is why we calibrate solutions to what will actually move forward. And because change rarely happens all at once, we plan for it in stages — maximizing wins in the short term and building toward catalytic change over time.