What Neighboring Concepts does

Neighboring Concepts is a privately held, multi-disciplinary architecture and urban design firm founded in 1996 and headquartered at 1635 W. Trade Street in Charlotte's Historic West-End. The firm delivers architecture, interior design, urban planning, community engagement, and specialized sector services including transit design, healthcare facility design, education facility design, commercial building design, and housing design. Its differentiated offering is a community-first methodology that engages residents, businesses, and community organizations through collaborative workshops starting at project inception, paired with LEED-certified sustainable design expertise and ~20 years of transit design experience on light rail, streetcar, and bus rapid transit systems.

The firm operates a project-based professional services model, earning fees determined by scope, complexity, and client requirements. Go-to-market combines direct engagement with government, education, healthcare, and community development organizations through RFPs and client relationships, with strategic subconsultant partnerships on major infrastructure projects (notably with AECOM on the CATS CityLYNX Gold Line streetcar). Customer segments include government and public sector (primary), education (primary), housing and residential (primary), healthcare (secondary), and urban planning and community development (primary), with anchor clients such as CATS, Novant Health, Johnson C. Smith University, and the City of Charlotte. The firm holds MBE, HUB, DBE, and SPSF certifications and is an active USGBC member, supporting set-aside contract eligibility.

The firm has approximately 30 team members across architecture, urban planning, interior design, project management, and marketing functions. In 2022, ownership transitioned from founder Darrel Williams to four partners — Daniel McNamee, Luke Volkmar, Frank Little, and Cathy Morrison — who now lead the firm under the mission of "Empowering Communities Through Design." The firm has received multiple industry recognitions including AIA Charlotte Design Merit Award (Eastway Regional Recreation Center) and ENR Southeast and Carolinas-AGC Best Project Awards (CATS LYNX Blue Line Extension), and operates across the Southeastern United States with no disclosed revenue, funding, or external investment.

Name

Neighboring Concepts

Legal name

Neighboring Concepts

Website

https://neighboringconcepts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Neighboring Concepts is a Charlotte-based minority-owned architecture and urban design firm serving government, education, healthcare, and community development clients across the Southeastern United States with community-engaged design, LEED-certified sustainable practice, and specialized transit, housing, and civic project expertise since 1996.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architecture and Urban Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architecture design services
• Urban planning
• Community engagement
• Transit design
• Sustainable building design

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

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

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Project-based professional fees for architecture, interior design, urban planning, and community engagement services across commercial, residential, healthcare, education, and transit sectors.
2. Urban Planning and Consulting: Strategic urban planning services integrated with architectural projects, providing comprehensive community development solutions.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Neighboring Concepts is a multi-disciplinary design firm that delivers architecture, interior design, urban planning, and community engagement services. Its project portfolio spans transit infrastructure (light rail, streetcars, bus rapid transit), healthcare facilities, K-12 and higher education campuses, commercial and mixed-use buildings, and affordable housing. The firm designs as integrated teams, embedding community input and sustainable design principles from project inception through completion.

Product overview

Neighboring Concepts is a community-focused architecture and urban design firm that offers a unified portfolio of professional design services rather than a software product platform. The company's core offerings consist of Architecture Services, Urban Planning, Community Engagement, and specialized sector services including Transit Design, Healthcare Facility Design, Education Facility Design, Commercial Building Design, and Housing Design. These services work together through an integrated approach where architects and urban planners collaborate on projects to seamlessly incorporate public transit, land use infrastructure, environmental considerations, and community input into cohesive design solutions. The firm serves clients across the southeastern United States, with a focus on underserved communities and projects that create positive social impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Architectural design services for various building types including residential, commercial, healthcare, education, and civic structures.
• Urban Planning Professional urban planning services integrating public transit, land use infrastructure, and environmental considerations into cohesive urban spaces, serving municipal governments, transit authorities, and community development clients.
• Community Engagement Services Collaborative workshops and ongoing partnerships that co-create spaces reflecting community aspirations through direct engagement with residents, businesses, and community organizations.
• Transit Design Transit infrastructure design services including streetcar, light rail, and bus rapid transit systems, promoting pedestrian-serving environments and transportation choices for public agencies.
• Healthcare Facility Design Healthcare facility architecture and interior design services for clinics and medical buildings, serving healthcare providers and health systems such as Novant Health.
• Education Facility Design Educational facility design services for K-12 schools and higher education institutions, with cited work including the Mosaic Village project at Johnson C. Smith University.
• Housing Design Residential and affordable housing architectural design services for developers, housing authorities, and community development organizations.
• Commercial and Mixed-Use Building Design Commercial architecture services for retail, office, and mixed-use developments, including project examples that connect community and commercial needs such as Mosaic Village.

Quantifiable outcome

• Designed 10-mile streetcar line connecting East and West sides of Charlotte
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and legacy.

• AECOMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring Concepts is an active partner in the AECOM Charlotte CityLYNX Gold Line Corridor Project Team, participating in all aspects of the future streetcar line for Charlotte. This strategic partnership positions the firm as the urban design and planning component of large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Historic West End PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEric Orozco serves as an active board member of Historic West End Partners, contributing to community planning initiatives and neighborhood revitalization efforts in Charlotte's Historic West-End.
• West Side CLT (Community Land Trust)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirm team members contributed to the foundation of Charlotte's first community land trust, focused on preserving affordable housing and community ownership in the West Side.
• Gantt Huberman ArchitectslegacyOthersFounding partners Cathy Morrison and Frank Little were previously employed at Gantt Huberman Architects under Mayor Harvey Gantt, continuing the legacy of leadership established through their foundational professional experiences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hord Coplan Macht: Mid-Atlantic/Southeast architecture firm with practices in education, housing, healthcare, and urban design. Comparable regional footprint and public-sector focus, though at greater scale and with broader service offerings.
• Cooper Carry: Mid-Atlantic/Southeast architecture firm with significant transit, civic, education, and mixed-use practices. Larger and broader portfolio than Neighboring Concepts but competes for similar public-sector and institutional clients in overlapping geographies.
• CannonDesign: National architecture and engineering firm with strong healthcare, education, and civic practices, including transit-oriented work. Larger and more diversified than Neighboring Concepts but competes for similar institutional and public-sector engagements.
• Perkins Eastman: Large national architecture firm with significant practice in senior living, education, healthcare, and transit-oriented development. Competes with Neighboring Concepts for institutional and public-sector clients in transit, housing, and education.

Direct peers

• WXY Architecture + Urban Design: Architecture and urban design firm known for community-focused planning, civic infrastructure, and equity-centered design in urban contexts. Closely aligned with Neighboring Concepts' integration of architecture, planning, and community engagement methodology.
• Urban Design Associates: Pittsburgh-based urban design and architecture firm specializing in community planning, transit-oriented development, and revitalization of disinvested neighborhoods. Directly comparable mission and methodology to Neighboring Concepts' community-engagement-led practice.
• KAI Enterprises: Minority-owned architecture, engineering, and construction services firm with strong community-development and infrastructure practice. Comparable in MBE certification profile and integration of community-focused design across multiple sectors.
• Torti Gallas + Partners: Architecture and urban design firm focused on mixed-use, housing, and community-driven placemaking in urban neighborhoods. Closely comparable to Neighboring Concepts in its integration of architecture, urban design, and community engagement for underinvested urban areas.
• Moody Nolan: Largest African-American-owned architecture firm in the U.S., offering architecture, planning, and interior design across multiple sectors including education, housing, and transit. Like Neighboring Concepts, it emphasizes community-centered design and minority business leadership, but at substantially greater scale.
• Williams Blackstock Architects: Charlotte-based architecture firm with deep civic, education, and healthcare experience in the Carolinas. Comparable geographic footprint and public-sector client mix, though a larger practice with broader regional reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/neighboringconc
• YouTubevimeo.com/user171499958
• Facebookfacebook.com/Neighboring-Concepts-103006129845271
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neighboring-concepts

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Neighboring Concepts