DPZ CoDesign

What DPZ CoDesign does

DPZ CoDesign is a privately held architecture and urban planning firm founded in 1980 by Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and headquartered in Miami, Florida, with additional offices in Gaithersburg (Washington, D.C. metro) and Portland. The firm designs and codes walkable, mixed-use communities for municipal governments, private developers, town founders, and civic organizations, and is widely credited with originating the New Urbanism movement and co-founding the Congress for the New Urbanism in 1993.

The firm's core deliverables are professional services rather than products: master planning, urban design, form-based code authoring, regional planning, and "sprawl repair" retrofits, executed primarily through a proprietary week-long charrette process that assembles decision-makers for iterative design. Underlying IP includes the Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) ordinance (1990), the SmartCode form-based zoning template, the Sprawl Repair Manual authored by Managing Partner Galina Tachieva, and U.S. Patent No. 6,574,931 B2 covering a residential dwelling system. A network of more than 150 alumni and a flexible "DPZ Cloud" of collaborators augment the roughly 22-person core team, and the firm has delivered over 300 projects across the U.S., Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

DPZ monetizes via project-based professional-services fees billed to municipalities and private developers; pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts appear to span code-writing, master planning, and implementation support through approvals and construction. Go-to-market is direct enterprise engagement, supported by thought-leadership distribution through published books (Suburban Nation, The Smart Growth Manual, Garden Cities, The New Civic Art, Transect Urbanism), a quarterly newsletter, CNU conference participation, and a small social presence. Revenue and ownership details are not publicly disclosed; the firm operates as DPZ CoDesign, LLC under Florida law with no parent company or institutional investors identified.

Name

DPZ CoDesign

Legal name

DPZ CoDesign, LLC

Website

https://dpz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DPZ CoDesign is a Miami-based architecture and urban-planning firm, founded in 1980, that provides master planning, form-based code writing, and walkable community design services to municipal governments, private developers, and civic organizations worldwide through proprietary charrette-based methodologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning Services

NAICS

Drafting Services (541340), Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Planning, Zoning, Permitting & Code Enforcement (BPAIACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Construction Codes & Building Standards Publishing (MPAJACAH)

Keywords

• Urban planning services
• Master planning services
• Form-based zoning codes
• New urbanism design
• Community design charrettes

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Urban Planning and Design Services: Professional services for urban planning, urban design, architecture, and zoning code development for municipalities, developers, and civic organizations.
2. Master Planning: Comprehensive planning services including new community master plans, regional plans, and implementation guidance.
3. Code Writing and Implementation: Form-based code development and zoning ordinance creation for municipalities seeking walkable community guidelines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

DPZ CoDesign is an urban planning and architectural design firm that delivers master planning, form-based zoning code development, community design charrettes, and urban revitalization services for municipalities, developers, and civic organizations. The firm applies proprietary New Urbanism methodologies—including the SmartCode, Traditional Neighborhood Development ordinance, and Sprawl Repair Manual—to create walkable, mixed-use, resilient communities. Services are delivered through direct engagement across three U.S. offices and a global network of project collaborators.

Product overview

DPZ CoDesign is an urban planning and design firm that offers professional services in urban planning, architecture, and code writing. The company provides master planning, community design charrettes, and zoning code development services for new towns, downtowns, regional strategies, and urban revitalization projects. Their services include adaptive urban planning, Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) zoning, form-based codes, SmartCode development, sprawl repair, and community engagement processes. The firm operates through three offices (Miami, Washington D.C., and Portland) and collaborates with a network of engineers, architects, landscape architects, planners, and other professionals as needed for specific projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Planning and Design Services Professional urban planning, urban design, architecture, and zoning code development for municipalities, developers, and civic organizations seeking sustainable, walkable, mixed-use community outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 projects built across various scales
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Duchy of Cornwall (Prince Charles)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1989DPZ's connection with Britain's Prince Charles began when he mentioned Seaside in his 1988 book and documentary, A Vision of Britain. In 1989, he commissioned the plan for Poundbury—a village extension of Dorchester—on land owned by his Duchy of Cornwall. This partnership established DPZ's international recognition in traditional neighborhood development.
• Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPZ co-founders Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk joined contemporaries to found CNU in 1993. CNU's charter, annual meetings, and numerous policy initiatives guide an international movement of sustainable urban growth and community design. DPZ partners serve in leadership roles including board chair.
• Center for Applied Transect StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDPZ co-founder Andrés Duany and Brian Falk co-edited 'Transect Urbanism: Readings in Human Ecology' published by the Center for Applied Transect Studies. The firm contributes to the evolution of the SmartCode through the Transect Codes Council.
• Seaside InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Seaside Institute conducts educational programs and conferences on New Urbanism. DPZ principals regularly participate in Seaside Institute events and programs, including the Academic Village.
• PLACE InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPLACE Initiative was established by DPZ's Camille Annette Cortes and Partner Matt Lambert to focus on solutions intersecting urbanism, climate, and equity—making urbanism and social justice top-level climate priorities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dover, Kohl & Partners: Town planning firm founded by former DPZ principals, focused on traditional neighborhood design, form-based codes, and charrette-driven planning. Direct competitor in the New Urbanism services niche with overlapping methodology and client base.
• Opticos Design: Architectural and planning firm specializing in missing middle housing, form-based codes, and walkable community design. Co-evolved with DPZ's SmartCode and competes for the same municipal code-writing engagements.
• Moule & Polyzoides: Architecture and urbanism practice specializing in traditional neighborhood design and form-based coding. Closely aligned with DPZ on methodology and frequently co-presents at CNU events; competes for similar municipal and developer clients.
• PlaceMakers: Form-based code consultancy led by Dan Parolek, providing zoning and coding services to municipalities. Direct competitor in the form-based code niche with comparable service offerings to DPZ's code-writing practice.
• Torti Gallas + Partners: Urban design and architecture firm with a strong traditional neighborhood development practice and history of form-based code work. Comparable client base of municipalities and developers seeking walkable, mixed-use community design.

Broad incumbents

• Sasaki Associates: Large interdisciplinary design practice with planning, landscape architecture, and urban design capabilities serving universities, cities, and developers. Broader portfolio than DPZ but competes for similar large-scale master planning and campus/community engagements.
• SWA Group: Landscape architecture and urban design firm with planning and master planning capabilities. Competes with DPZ on landscape-led master planning for resorts, campuses, and large mixed-use developments.
• Perkins&Will: Global architecture and planning firm with urban design practice serving municipalities, institutions, and developers. Larger scale and broader portfolio than DPZ, with comparable expertise in urban planning and zoning-related engagements.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with extensive urban planning, design, and economics capabilities. Competes with DPZ for large municipal master planning and infrastructure-integrated community design contracts, though with much broader service breadth.

Others

• Congress for the New Urbanism: Non-profit membership organization co-founded by DPZ principals in 1993 that advances New Urbanism principles, policy, and education. Not a commercial competitor but a strategic ecosystem partner that channels visibility, talent, and RFP referrals towards DPZ and peer firms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/DPZandCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dpzcodesign
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearedpz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 DPZ CoDesign