Sam Schwartz

What Sam Schwartz does

Sam Schwartz is a New York-based traffic and transportation planning and engineering consultancy founded in 1995 by Samuel I. Schwartz, former New York City Traffic Commissioner and Chief Engineer of the NYC Department of Transportation, popularly known as "Gridlock Sam" for coining the term. The firm delivers urban mobility, transportation planning, and city solutions advisory services to government agencies and enterprise infrastructure developers. In 2024, Sam Schwartz was acquired by TYLin Group, a 1954-founded global multi-disciplinary engineering firm with over 5,000 employees and 124 offices, and now operates as Sam Schwartz, A TYLin Company. The firm has been positioned as the core of TYLin's newly formed City Solutions practice, bundling urban and transportation planning, development services, mobility systems, and resiliency and electrification into an end-to-end advisory suite.

The firm's service offerings are organized around the City Solutions practice — Urban + Transportation Planning, Development Services, Mobility Systems, and Resiliency and Electrification — complemented by TYLin's broader engineering capabilities in architecture, construction engineering and inspection, design, mechanical and electrical engineering, alternative delivery, project management, and climate and sustainability. The combined entity also operates a Digital Fusion practice intended to integrate technology-enabled planning services. The customer base is horizontally segmented into Government and Public Sector agencies (primary) and Enterprise Infrastructure Developers (secondary), with engagements spanning urban environment advisory, city planning, mobility systems design, transportation planning, development services, resiliency, and electrification.

Sam Schwartz operates as a professional services firm with a project-based, contract-driven revenue model. Engagements are secured through RFPs, government contracts, and direct enterprise relationships, with quote-based pricing determined by project scope, complexity, and client requirements. The company maintains no software product, mobile app, or API; its value is delivered through expert advisory and engineering services grounded in the founder's industry reputation and three decades of practitioner experience, now amplified by TYLin's global delivery platform.

Name

Sam Schwartz

Legal name

TYLin

Website

https://samschwartz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sam Schwartz is a New York-based traffic and transportation planning and engineering consultancy, founded in 1995 by former NYC Traffic Commissioner Samuel I. Schwartz, serving government agencies and enterprise clients with urban mobility and city solutions advisory services. Acquired by TYLin in 2024.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transportation Engineering and Urban Planning Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Traffic Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) Planning, Design & Engineering (MOT/TCP Plans) (TLAJALAA)

Keywords

• Traffic engineering services
• Transportation planning consulting
• Urban mobility solutions
• Infrastructure planning services
• City solutions advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Engineering and Planning: TYLin generates revenue through professional services engagements including architecture, construction engineering and inspection, construction and program management, design, mechanical and electrical engineering, and transportation and environmental planning. Revenue is project-based and contract-driven, typical of engineering consulting firms serving government and enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Sam Schwartz is a traffic and transportation planning and engineering firm providing consulting, engineering, and planning services for urban environments. Following acquisition by TYLin in 2024, the firm operates as the core of TYLin's City Solutions practice, delivering whole-systems, end-to-end advisory services covering urban and transportation planning, mobility systems, development services, resiliency and electrification, climate and sustainability, and digital integration for government agencies and enterprise clients.

Product overview

Sam Schwartz is a transportation planning and urban mobility consultancy that has been integrated into TYLin as a subsidiary brand. The company operates as a unified service offering (not a software platform) within TYLin's City Solutions practice, alongside TYLin's existing Land Development and Mobility Systems offerings. The core products include City Solutions as the primary practice area, with sub-practices covering Urban + Transportation Planning, Development Services, Mobility Systems, and Resiliency and Electrification. These advisory and planning services are complemented by TYLin's broader engineering and construction services including Architecture, Design, Construction Engineering and Inspection, Project Management, Climate + Sustainability, Digital Fusion, and Alternative Delivery. The company provides consulting services to government agencies and private sector clients for infrastructure planning, not a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• City Solutions: A whole-systems, end-to-end suite of advisory services for creating and adapting urban environments for the future, making metropolitan areas more accessible, smarter, safer, more resilient, more equitable, and more attractive.

Products and services

• City Solutions Advisory
• Urban and Transportation Planning

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TYLin GroupcoreOthersSam Schwartz, A TYLin Company, is now fully integrated into TYLin Group. Sam Schwartz now forms the core of TYLin's City Solutions practice—a whole-systems, end-to-end suite of advisory services for creating and adapting urban environments. The acquisition strengthens TYLin's existing Land Development and Mobility Systems offerings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: AECOM is one of the largest global engineering, design, and construction services firms with a significant transportation planning practice. It directly competes for large-scale transit, highway, and urban mobility planning engagements that Sam Schwartz also targets.
• WSP USA: WSP is a global engineering consultancy with a major transportation planning and traffic engineering practice. It competes for the same government and infrastructure RFPs as Sam Schwartz but at substantially larger scale across many disciplines.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with a sizable transportation practice serving public agencies. It competes with Sam Schwartz on transportation planning, traffic engineering, and urban design engagements.
• Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs provides critical infrastructure consulting including advanced transportation planning, traffic engineering, and mobility services for government agencies. It is a major competitor on large federal, state, and municipal infrastructure programs.

Direct peers

• Kimley-Horn: Kimley-Horn is a privately held engineering consultancy with a strong transportation planning and traffic engineering practice serving state DOTs, municipalities, and private developers. It is one of the most direct head-to-head competitors for Sam Schwartz on mid-sized transportation planning RFPs.
• VHB: VHB is a mid-sized engineering, planning, and design firm with a strong Northeast presence and significant transportation planning, traffic engineering, and urban mobility practices. Closely comparable to Sam Schwartz in size, geography, and service mix.
• TranSystems: TranSystems is a transportation-focused engineering and planning consultancy serving public agencies, railroads, and private infrastructure clients. It is a direct peer in traffic engineering, transportation planning, and mobility services.
• Gannett Fleming: Gannett Fleming is an infrastructure engineering and planning firm with strong transportation, transit, and urban mobility capabilities. It competes with Sam Schwartz on rail, transit, and urban planning RFPs particularly in the Northeast corridor.
• HDR Inc. HDR is an employee-owned engineering firm with deep transportation planning, highway, and transit expertise. It competes directly with Sam Schwartz on state DOT, MPO, and large municipal transportation planning contracts.
• Michael Baker International: Michael Baker International is an engineering and consulting firm with a substantial transportation practice spanning planning, design, and program management for DOTs and transit agencies. Directly comparable on transportation planning engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SamSchwartzEng
• YouTubevimeo.com/tylininternational
• Facebookfacebook.com/tylininternationalgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/27343
• Instagraminstagram.com/tylininternational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sam Schwartz