Ethos Urban

What Ethos Urban does

Ethos Urban is an Australian urban development consultancy headquartered in Sydney, providing integrated services across statutory and strategic planning, urban design, social strategy, and stakeholder engagement. The firm serves two primary client verticals — government agencies and property developers/land owners — with secondary work for educational institutions, focused on use cases such as large-scale rezonings, precinct masterplanning, build-to-rent and co-living developments, and infrastructure-led urban renewal projects. Its commercial model is project-based advisory, monetized through planning, design, and engagement retainers tied to complex regulatory and development outcomes.

Following acquisition by Colliers, a global professional services firm, Ethos Urban's operations, brand, and senior leadership — including Managing Director Bernard Gallagher — have been integrated into Colliers' Urban Planning service line alongside adjacent Colliers capabilities in property economics, strategic advisory, valuation, and engineering. The combined offering pairs Ethos Urban's 30-plus years of specialist planning and engagement expertise with Colliers' cross-service distribution, allowing bundled pitches on complex precinct, living-sector, and infrastructure projects. No standalone revenue, pricing, or backlog data is disclosed, and the firm operates without disclosed AI/ML, proprietary technology, or recurring SaaS components; its competitive position rests on practitioner expertise and project execution rather than productized technology.

Name

Ethos Urban

Legal name

Ethos Urban

Website

https://ethosurban.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Ethos Urban is a Sydney-based urban development consultancy providing integrated planning, urban design, social strategy, and stakeholder engagement services to government agencies, property developers, and educational institutions across Australia, now operating inside Colliers' Urban Planning service line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning Consulting

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Urban planning consultancy
• Statutory planning services
• Urban design services
• Stakeholder engagement consulting
• Social strategy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Ethos Urban is an urban development consultancy that provides integrated planning, urban design, social strategy, and stakeholder engagement services. It helps government agencies, property developers, land owners, and educational institutions navigate complex planning regulations, secure project approvals, maximise asset value, and build community and stakeholder alignment for urban development projects. Operations have been integrated into Colliers' Urban Planning service line following acquisition.

Product overview

Ethos Urban (now part of Colliers) offers a unified urban planning consultancy service with four integrated core offerings: Planning, Urban Design, Social Strategy, and Stakeholder Engagement. These services work together to help clients navigate complex regulations, reduce project risks, and deliver commercially and socially successful developments. The integrated approach combines independent thinking with global reach to unlock the full potential of land and assets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Strategic and statutory planning services that help clients navigate complex regulations, secure approvals, and reduce project risks across urban renewal, infrastructure-led developments, precincts, and rezonings.
• Urban Design Urban design expertise that shapes cities and communities through thoughtful place-making and design excellence, supporting the delivery of commercially and socially successful developments.
• Social Strategy Social strategy services that build community alignment and ensure projects deliver lasting social benefits for stakeholders, supporting smoother planning and development outcomes.
• Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholder engagement services that build political, social, and community trust to ensure smooth project delivery and reduce approval and execution risk for urban development projects.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• CollierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthos Urban was acquired by Colliers, a global professional services firm. Key personnel including Managing Director Bernard Gallagher transitioned from senior leadership roles at Ethos Urban (including National Director – Strategy, Sales and Marketing; Regional Director NSW; Planning Group Service Lead; and Board Member) to Colliers, bringing over 30 years of urban planning expertise into the Colliers global network.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• JLL: Global real estate services firm with planning, advisory and project management capabilities across Australia — broader portfolio but overlapping on large precinct and developer advisory mandates.
• CBRE: Global real estate services and investment firm offering advisory, valuation and project services that compete with Colliers (Ethos Urban's parent) for large-scale urban planning mandates.
• Knight Frank: Global real estate consultancy with Australian valuation, advisory and development consulting teams — competes for high-end developer and government advisory engagements.
• AECOM: Global engineering, design and planning firm operating in Australia across urban planning, infrastructure advisory and design — competing for large government and infrastructure-led precinct work.
• GHD: Australian-headquartered engineering, architecture and planning consultancy active in urban development, infrastructure and community engagement — comparable on integrated planning and stakeholder mandates.

Direct peers

• Urbis: Australian urban planning, design and economics consultancy serving government agencies and property developers on similar rezoning, urban renewal and statutory planning mandates — the most direct domestic competitor.
• SGS Economics & Planning: Australia-based economics, planning and social research firm providing property economics and statutory planning services to government and developers — comparable in client mix and methodology.
• Mecone: Australian boutique planning consultancy focused on statutory planning, urban design and development advisory for property developers — directly overlapping Ethos Urban's project-based planning work.
• Hassell: Architecture and urban design practice with strong Australian presence, frequently collaborating on precinct-level urban design and place-making projects that overlap with Ethos Urban's Urban Design offering.
• Place Design Group: Australian integrated design and planning consultancy covering urban design, landscape architecture and stakeholder engagement — directly comparable in service mix and client base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ethos_Urban
• Facebookfacebook.com/ethosurban
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethosurban

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ethos Urban