Able City

What Able City does

Able City is a privately held multidisciplinary professional services firm established in 2017, headquartered at 110 Broadway, Suite 590, San Antonio, Texas, that integrates four practice areas — architecture, urban planning, economic development, and community engagement — into a single delivery model for public-sector and institutional clients. The firm was founded by Viviana L. Frank-Franco, Mario A. Peña, Frank Rotnofsky, and Diana H. Peña, drawing on legacy practices from 1978 and 1990. It serves municipal and county governments (City of Laredo, City of San Antonio, City of El Paso, City of Eagle Pass, Webb County), K-12 and higher education institutions (SAISD, UISD, LISD, South Texas College, Alamo Colleges, Texas A&M System), federal agencies (US GSA), transportation providers (Union Pacific, VIA Metropolitan Transit), and nonprofit housing authorities (Opportunity Home San Antonio, San Antonio Housing Trust). Service revenue is generated through project-based professional-services fees, typically secured via competitive public-sector procurement or direct negotiation, with no published rate cards.

The firm's core technology stack is conventional — BIM/Revit-based architectural documentation, AutoCAD drafting, GIS-integrated planning analysis, and digital community engagement tools (interactive mapping, online scenario modeling, polling platforms) — rather than proprietary software. Its differentiated capability is its integrated methodology: rather than operating siloed service lines, Able City simultaneously applies architecture, planning, economic development, and community engagement to every engagement, treating them as one continuous process. The 5-Day Public Design Workshop (charrette methodology) is the signature engagement format, combining face-to-face sessions with bilingual digital tools to ensure inclusive participation in communities with limited digital access.

Able City operates six offices across South Texas (San Antonio HQ, Laredo, McAllen, El Paso), Florida (Miami via Able City East, established 2023 with Jason King and Pamela King), and New York City (satellite office opened 2025). Able City East functions as a regional sub-brand extending full-service urban planning to the East Coast and internationally. The firm is structured as a Texas LLC, with no external institutional investors, and operates a nonprofit affiliate, City Makery, that extends the community engagement methodology into independent civic programming. Reported headline metrics include $1B+ in construction cost across projects, $13M+ secured across 13 major grant and capital campaigns, and 50+ awards across AIA, TASB, THC, and CNU; the firm does not publicly disclose revenue or headcount in financial terms, with approximately 30+ named professionals listed on its materials.

Name

Able City

Legal name

Able City, LLC

Website

https://able.city

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Able City is a privately held San Antonio-based multidisciplinary professional services firm that integrates architecture, urban planning, economic development, and community engagement to serve municipal, county, educational, and nonprofit clients primarily in South Texas with East Coast expansion via Able City East.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural and Planning Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Works & Municipal Infrastructure (Streets, Stormwater, Facilities) (BPAIACAF), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Architecture services
• Urban planning
• Community engagement
• Economic development
• Historic preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

San Antonio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Design and construction administration fees for civic, educational, residential, and commercial architecture projects. Revenue is project-based, typically secured through public-sector procurement or direct developer engagements. Projects range from small-scale additions to large institutional facilities.
2. Urban Planning Services: Fees for comprehensive plans, zoning code updates, corridor plans, master plans, and transit-oriented development plans. Typically billed as fixed-fee professional service engagements for government clients, with some ongoing retainer or phase-based contracts.
3. Economic Development Advisory Services: Fees for economic development strategies, market studies, downtown revitalization plans, TIRZ analyses, and food systems planning. Revenue derives from data-driven diagnostic and strategic planning engagements for municipal and institutional clients.
4. Community Engagement Services: Fees for stakeholder engagement, public outreach campaigns, charrettes, and civic consultation. Often bundled with planning or architecture engagements, though also delivered as standalone community engagement mandates for large public infrastructure projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Able City is a multidisciplinary professional services firm that delivers integrated architecture, urban planning, economic development, and community engagement services to public agencies, educational institutions, developers, and community organizations. The firm's revenue comes from project-based professional service engagements—including architectural design and construction administration, comprehensive plans and zoning code updates, economic development strategies and market studies, and inclusive community engagement processes such as charrettes and civic outreach campaigns.

Product overview

Able City is a multidisciplinary professional services firm offering integrated architecture, urban planning, economic development, and community engagement services. Their core offering is not a software product but rather a portfolio of consulting services built around four integrated practice areas: Community Engagement (charrettes, advocacy, neighborhood engagement), Planning (comprehensive plans, zoning codes, transportation plans), Economic Development (strategies, market analysis, TIRZs, public-private partnerships), and Architecture (housing, civic, educational, transit facilities). Able City East operates as a sub-brand providing expanded urban planning capabilities on the East Coast. The firm was established in 2017 through the merger of predecessor firms from 1978 and 1990, and has since expanded to include offices in San Antonio, Laredo, El Paso, McAllen, Miami, and New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Engagement Services Inclusive community engagement processes for municipalities, housing authorities, and developers—including charrettes, public outreach campaigns, advocacy strategies, housing engagement, and tailored participation plans that turn stakeholders into co-creators.
• Planning Services Community-driven urban planning services connecting vision to action—including comprehensive plans, unified development codes, visioning for traditional neighborhood developments, mitigation planning, active transportation plans, zoning code updates, corridor plans, master plans, and transit-oriented development plans.
• Economic Development Services Data-driven economic strategies connecting economic policy to city fabric—including economic development strategies, market studies, downtown and district revitalization, public-private partnership frameworks, TIRZ analyses, and food systems planning.
• Architecture Services Context-sensitive architectural design delivering spaces that are beautiful, functional, and community-responsive—including learning environments, historic preservation and adaptive reuse, affordable housing, transit facilities, civic spaces, and rehabilitation/reuse projects.
• Able City East Full-service urban planning sub-brand offering developer plans, municipal plans, corridor plans, unified development codes, comprehensive plans, regional plans, transit-oriented development plans, master plans, and park and trail planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• $13+ million in grant and capital campaign funding secured for public-serving clients across 13 major campaigns
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dover, Kohl & PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJason King was Principal at Dover, Kohl & Partners for 18+ years before co-founding Able City East with the firm. Jason led 200+ plans through the Dover, Kohl team, which has deep national recognition in traditional neighborhood development and charrette-based planning. Key projects co-led include Plan El Paso, Jean Lafitte Resilience Plan, Seven50, Missoula Downtown Master Plan, and Wheeler District.
• Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPEX collaborated with Jason King and the Dover, Kohl team on the Jean Lafitte Tomorrow Plan resilience master plan. CPEX is a Louisiana-based planning nonprofit focused on comprehensive planning and community resilience.
• Street Plans CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreet Plans Collaborative joined the Onward Alameda Corridor Master Plan team led by Able City/Jason King, contributing street planning and multimodal mobility expertise for the 14.5-mile El Paso corridor visioning exercise.
• CEA GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEA Group was part of the multidisciplinary team for the Onward Alameda Corridor Master Plan in El Paso, contributing engineering and infrastructure analysis to the corridor planning effort.
• White & SmithminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhite & Smith served as subconsultant to Able City on the City of Socorro Unified Development Code project, funded by ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. Contributed land use planning and regulatory expertise.
• HRTC ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRTC Services was a subconsultant partner on the City of Socorro UDC project alongside Able City and White & Smith.
• City MakerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Makery is Able City's nonprofit affiliate, founded by Viviana Frank. It empowers and equips citizens to develop and implement what they value and need in their city—extending Able City's community engagement methodology into independent civic advocacy programs. Sabrina Lopez coordinated the Laredo Food Policy Council through City Makery.
• Downtown Missoula PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Downtown Missoula Partnership—a coalition of the Downtown Missoula Business Improvement District, Downtown Missoula Association, and Downtown Missoula Foundation—oversaw the Downtown Missoula Master Plan led by Jason King and Able City East with seven specialty consultants.
• San Antonio Housing TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Antonio Housing Trust partnered with Able City on the Buena Vista – El Jardín De Nuestras Flores project, Texas's first LGBTQ+ youth transitional housing community on San Antonio's Westside, developed with Thrive Youth Center.
• Thrive Youth CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrive Youth Center partnered with Able City and San Antonio Housing Trust on the LGBTQ+ youth transitional housing project, providing the service provider perspective and programming for young adults experiencing homelessness.
• Webb County Heritage FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWebb County Heritage Foundation acquired and preserved the Villa Antigua historic structure (now Border Heritage Museum), partnering with Able City on the restoration. The foundation's executive director praised downtown Laredo's historic built environment that Able City works to protect and activate.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sasaki Associates: Planning, urban design, landscape, and architecture firm combining large-scale planning with built work — relevant on integrated campus, district, and regional planning engagements.
• Wallace Roberts & Todd (WRT): Philadelphia-headquartered planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm with similar integrated practice model and deep municipal/public-sector engagement history.
• BNIM: Integrated architecture, planning, and environmental design firm with deep credentials in sustainability, equitable community development, and AIA committee-level recognition — directly comparable integrated-disciplines, equity, and high-performance design model.
• Page Southerland Page: Texas-founded architecture and engineering firm with comparable civic, educational, and cultural-building portfolio across Texas and the U.S.; partially overlaps Able City's K-12 and higher-ed client base.
• Lake|Flato Architects: San Antonio-headquartered architecture firm with a parallel sustainability-and-place-based design philosophy and a mixed portfolio of civic, educational, and adaptive reuse projects across Texas and the Southwest. Closest geographic and disciplinary peer.
• Torti Gallas + Partners: Urban design and architecture firm specializing in town center, mixed-use, and revitalization master planning; shares Able City's town-making, charrette, and form-based coding orientation.
• Dover, Kohl & Partners: Traditional neighborhood development and charrette-based planning firm where Able City East partner Jason King spent 18+ years as principal. Direct overlap in visioning, comprehensive plans, and illustrated charrette methodology across 200+ shared projects.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm delivering planning, architecture, and economic development services at scale; competes on large IDIQ and multi-disciplinary municipal procurement.
• Stantec: Global architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with broad municipal planning, urban design, and community development practices; represents the larger-scale incumbent competition that can absorb master service contracts.

Emerging players

• SWA Group: Landscape architecture, planning, and urban design firm with overlapping public realm, parks, and waterfront practice; intersects on landscape and planning projects within Able City's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ablecity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ablecity
• Instagraminstagram.com/ablecity
• Xx.com/Able_City_

Compliance13 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Able City