What We Do
Four domains. One integrated practice.
Our work moves across the life of an issue or initiative — from understanding what is happening and defining what needs to be addressed, to building strategy, securing resources, strengthening organizations, developing partnerships, and supporting implementation.
01
Urban Planning
Place-based research and analysis that translates evidence into decision-ready recommendations.
We conduct place-based research and planning across neighborhood, corridor, municipal, and metropolitan scales. Our work includes housing and preservation studies, demographic and economic analysis, needs assessments, spatial and land-use analysis, development-pressure research, anti-displacement strategy, and public-investment analysis. We help clients understand what is happening in a place, what the evidence supports, and what it means for the decisions they need to make.
02
Community & Economic Development
Strategy, resources, and implementation infrastructure for community and economic development work.
We support the full lifecycle of community and economic development work — from strategy and opportunity mapping to resource development, program design, and implementation planning. Our work includes organizational growth strategy, funding and grant strategy, market opportunity mapping, small-business and commercial preservation strategy, and building the operational infrastructure required to move initiatives forward.
03
Civic Capacity Building
Strengthening the organizations, systems, and relationships that make consequential work possible.
We help organizations strengthen the internal and external capacity required to carry out their work effectively. This includes community and stakeholder engagement design, governance support, institutional capacity building, facilitation and convening, public-sector strategy, and the data and reporting systems that help organizations make decisions, demonstrate impact, and sustain their work over time.
04
Strategic Communications & Partnership Development
Positioning, messaging, and relationships that move work forward.
We help organizations communicate their work clearly and build the partnerships required to advance it. Our work includes strategic messaging, stakeholder and funder communications, partnership strategy, stakeholder mapping, cross-sector partnership development, impact communications, public-facing project communications, and positioning for decision-makers and funders.
Ready to move your work forward?
Tell us what you are trying to understand, strengthen, fund, build, or move forward.