Urban Foresight

What Urban Foresight does

Urban Foresight is a UK-based consultancy, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne with a secondary office in Dundee. The firm advises public-sector clients on the planning, design, and delivery of future mobility, net zero, and place-making programmes, operating across six practice areas: Electric Mobility, Advanced Mobility, Sustainability/Net Zero, Economic Development, Smart Cities, and Health and Social Care. Its customer base is predominantly UK local authorities, combined authorities, and government agencies, with selected international engagements in Cambodia and Ireland.

The firm combines strategic advisory with technical delivery. Notable outputs include a digital twin toolkit for net zero mobility hubs (deployed initially with Essex County Council), participation in the UK government's Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) Pathfinder programme with the Kirkwall AutoLink pilot, and the Innovate UK-funded CoastalCoRRE project delivered with the University of Plymouth COAST Lab. Partnerships with Aurrigo (autonomous vehicle deployment), Innovate UK, and academic institutions extend its delivery capability without requiring vertical integration into hardware or platform ownership. Cyber Essentials certification signals baseline data-handling controls relevant to government procurement.

The business model is project-based consulting revenue, sourced primarily through UK public-sector tendering, framework agreements, and grant-funded consortium work. With approximately 40 team members, the firm operates as a privately held limited company with no disclosed external funding rounds. Revenue scaling is gated by public-sector procurement cycles, devolution policy momentum, and the firm's ability to convert advisory relationships into repeat programme work.

Name

Urban Foresight

Legal name

Urban Foresight Limited

Website

https://urbanforesight.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Foresight is a UK-based public-sector consultancy advising local authorities and government agencies on future mobility, net zero, and place-making across six practice areas, combining strategic advisory with technical delivery and academic partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL), Digital Inclusion & Civic Tech (Connectivity, GovTech for Social Good) (BPAGALAK)

Keywords

• Smart cities consulting
• Place-based innovation
• Electric mobility consulting
• Net zero advisory
• Economic development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and advisory services: Urban Foresight generates revenue by providing paid consulting services to public sector organisations, government bodies, universities, and international clients. Engagements include research and analysis, strategy development, project delivery, feasibility studies, evaluations, and programme management. Revenue is project-based and contract-driven.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urban Foresight is a place-based innovation consultancy delivering research, strategy, and project delivery services to public sector clients across six practice areas: electric mobility, advanced mobility, sustainability and net zero, economic development, smart cities, and health and social care. Engagements include feasibility studies, sector studies, business cases, pilots, evaluations, and programme management for local authorities, combined authorities, government agencies, universities, and international bodies.

Product overview

Urban Foresight is a place-based innovation consultancy (founded in 2011 as the world's first dedicated smart cities consultancy) offering a portfolio of interconnected service offerings rather than a unified software product. Their core consulting services span six practice areas: Electric Mobility Consulting (EV infrastructure and fleet decarbonisation), Advanced Mobility Consulting (autonomous vehicles, MaaS, smart parking), Sustainability and Net Zero Consulting, Economic Development Consulting, Smart Cities Consulting, and Health and Social Care Consulting. Services include research and analysis, strategy and business case development, project development and delivery, pilots and living labs, networks and business support, and evaluations. The company works across local authorities, government agencies, and international organizations to deliver sustainable outcomes for places and people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Mobility Consulting Consultancy services focused on strategies and projects to phase out fossil fuels from transport, including EV infrastructure planning, fleet electrification, and policy development, delivered to local authorities and government bodies.
• Advanced Mobility Consulting Smart and sustainable mobility consultancy providing user-centric transport solutions, including active travel, mobility hubs, MaaS, smart parking, and autonomous vehicle services for public sector clients.
• Sustainability and Net Zero Consulting Sustainable development consultancy helping places and organisations reduce negative environmental impacts through strategic direction, capacity building, and actionable recommendations on net zero and decarbonisation.
• Economic Development Consulting Economic development consultancy advising on investments for social progress, improved living standards, and job creation through strategies, sector development, and feasibility studies.
• Smart Cities Consulting Smart cities consultancy transforming public services and infrastructure with technology, data, and new ways of working, including use cases, innovation programmes, and living labs.
• Health and Social Care Consulting Health and care consultancy transforming care service outcomes with technology, new ways of working, and place-based strategies for health boards and care commissioners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secured participation in £150 million UK government CAM Pathfinder programme for autonomous vehicle trials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers41 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• North East Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Urban Foresight is part of a North East Combined Authority delegation attending UKREiiF 2026 (19-21 May) to showcase £14 billion of development opportunities across the region, including clean energy, AI Growth Zones, and urban regeneration projects. The delegation is led by North East mayor Kim McGuinness.
• AurrigocoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2026Aurrigo, a Coventry-based autonomous vehicle company, is partnered with Urban Foresight for the Kirkwall AutoLink trial in Orkney (scheduled for 9-10 February 2026). Aurrigo supplies Auto-Pod zero-emission autonomous shuttles for the trial, which is part of the £150 million UK government CAM Pathfinder programme. The trial tests self-driving shuttles between Kirkwall Harbour and Kirkwall Airport to assess feasibility for rural transportation.
• University of Plymouth COAST LabsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The University of Plymouth's COAST Lab is a testing partner for the CoastalCoRRE study, providing facilities to test floating electric boat charging hub designs under controlled conditions before deployment in Orkney.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering and advisory firm with extensive smart cities, mobility, and net zero practices serving the same UK public sector clients on overlapping briefs.
• Buro Happold: Engineering and advisory consultancy with established smart cities, sustainability, and infrastructure practices serving UK local authorities and developers on adjacent briefs.
• PA Consulting: International consulting firm with established smart cities, transport, and sustainability practices competing for similar UK public sector strategy and innovation mandates.
• Ricardo: Global engineering consultancy with UK-led transport, energy, and environment practices that overlap with Urban Foresight's e-mobility, net zero, and place-based innovation work.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with a strong UK smart places and mobility advisory footprint, frequently bidding on the same public sector frameworks as Urban Foresight.
• Mott MacDonald: Large multidisciplinary consultancy with dedicated transport, cities, and energy practices that compete for the same local authority and central government mandates.

Direct peers

• Element Energy: UK-based specialist consultancy focused on low-carbon transport, EVs, and energy systems — directly overlapping with Urban Foresight's electric mobility and net zero practices.
• Steer Group: Independent transport consultancy with strong UK public sector presence across mobility strategy, MaaS, and decarbonisation — competing for similar local and national government commissions.
• Connected Places Catapult: UK government-backed innovation accelerator focused on connected places, transport, and smart city innovation — operates adjacent to Urban Foresight's mission and frequently collaborates on the same initiatives.
• Cenex: UK not-for-profit specialising in low-carbon transport and energy innovation, working with local authorities on EV and mobility programmes that closely mirror Urban Foresight's client engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UrbanForesightLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urban-foresight
• Xx.com/urbanforesight

Compliance1 record

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 Urban Foresight