Urban Design Studio

What Urban Design Studio does

Urban Design Studio is a West Palm Beach, Florida-based professional services firm founded in 1977 that delivers urban planning, landscape architecture, and government approval services to private developers, home builders, municipalities, and public institutions. The practice operates across three integrated service lines: Planning Services (zoning consultation, government processing, feasibility studies, site analysis), Landscape Architecture (master planning, site design, hardscape, irrigation, streetscape, and sign code), and Government Approvals (local government liaison, public hearing preparation, and community consensus building). Named projects include the Avenir and Arden master-planned communities, Palm Beach Outlets, Palm Beach State College, Delray Marketplace, and Bethesda Hospital West, indicating work across real estate, healthcare, higher education, and retail segments. The firm states a service footprint spanning South Florida and the Eastern Seaboard.

The business model is project-based professional services revenue, with fees tied to discrete planning, design, and entitlement engagements rather than SaaS or product sales. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, anchored in 47 years of continuous practice, repeat developer relationships, and leadership roles in local planning and zoning bodies. The firm is private and for-profit, with 11-50 employees organized as a multi-disciplinary team of certified planners and landscape architects (PLA, ASLA, AICP credentials). Leadership is principal-led, with Ken Tuma as Managing Principal, Wendy Tuma as Principal, and additional principals contributing to firm governance. There is no disclosed technology platform, no AI/ML capability, and no external funding; the company is bootstrapped and operationally traditional. The firm is recognized by the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association for project excellence and has continued to add senior staff through 2025-2026, with multiple new hires announced in the most recent quarters.

Name

Urban Design Studio

Legal name

Urban Design Studios

Website

https://udsflorida.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Design Studio is a West Palm Beach-based professional services firm founded in 1977 that provides urban planning, landscape architecture, and government approval services to private developers, home builders, municipalities, and public institutions across South Florida and the Eastern Seaboard.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Urban planning services
• Landscape architecture
• Government approvals
• Land use entitlement
• Site design consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

West Palm Beach

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Planning Services: Urban Design Studio generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements for planning, zoning consultation, government processing and approvals, development feasibility studies, land use studies, and site selection analysis. Services are billed on a project basis with fees determined by scope and complexity.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Urban Design Studio is a professional services firm that delivers land use planning, landscape architecture, and government approval services for public and private development projects in South Florida and along the Eastern Seaboard. Engagements span zoning consultation, development feasibility studies, master planning, site and landscape design, and full-service government processing and entitlements from project inception through permitting.

Product overview

Urban Design Studio offers a unified suite of three integrated professional services: Planning Services, Landscape Architecture, and Government Approvals. The company operates as a land planning and landscape architecture firm serving both public and private development sectors across South Florida. Planning Services handles land use analysis, zoning consultation, and feasibility studies. Landscape Architecture encompasses master planning through construction administration for site design. Government Approvals provides liaison services with local authorities for entitlements and permitting. The firm's project portfolio includes commercial destinations like Palm Beach Outlets and Delray Marketplace, residential communities such as Arden and Avenir, and institutional projects including Palm Beach State College.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Services Comprehensive planning and zoning consultation services including government processing, code review, development feasibility studies, corridor studies, land use studies, and site selection and analysis, delivered to public and private development clients across South Florida and the Eastern Seaboard.
• Landscape Architecture Full-service landscape architectural design including master planning, site planning, planting plans, irrigation design, streetscape design, design guidelines, public spaces design, signage theming, environmental inventory, hardscape design, construction drawings, and construction administration for residential, commercial, mixed-use, civic, and institutional projects.
• Government Approvals Government processing and approvals services that liaise between clients and local authorities, drawing on 40+ years of regulatory experience, community consensus building expertise, and deep knowledge of Florida land use and rezoning processes.

Named customers17 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

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ArchitectscoreOthersUDS maintains a network of professional partners drawn from the best in the industry, including architects who collaborate on project teams suited to geographic location and project tasks.
• AttorneyscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal professionals are part of UDS's professional partner network, providing expertise on land use matters, eminent domain cases, and regulatory compliance.
• EngineerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering consultants are regular collaborators on UDS project teams, providing technical expertise for site design and construction documentation.
• Environmental ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental specialists work with UDS on projects requiring environmental assessment, upland & wetland preservation, littoral design and mitigation management.
• Public Relations AgenciessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPR agencies are part of the partner network to support community consensus building and public communication for development projects.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• EDSA: Fort Lauderdale-based planning, landscape architecture, and urban design firm operating across the same South Florida market with overlapping services in master planning, site design, and entitlement. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and service mix to UDS.
• WGI: West Palm Beach-based engineering, planning, and landscape architecture firm with a strong South Florida presence in land use entitlement and site design. WGI is referenced in UDS team member backgrounds and competes for the same private developer and municipal clients.
• Calvin, Giordano & Associates: Florida-headquartered engineering, planning, and landscape architecture firm serving public and private clients across the state. Directly comparable in geography, service mix, and target customer base of developers and municipalities.
• LandDesign: Multi-disciplinary landscape architecture, civil engineering, and urban design firm with active Florida projects. Comparable in service offering (master planning, site design, entitlement support) and target developer/client base.
• SWA Group: Landscape architecture and urban design firm with a strong portfolio of master-planned communities, mixed-use developments, and public realm projects. Comparable in core service lines and high-profile project portfolio to UDS.
• Torti Gallas + Partners: Town planning and urban design firm specializing in master-planned communities, mixed-use developments, and entitlements. Directly comparable in project types (large master-planned communities, mixed-use destinations) and planning-led service model.
• OLIN: Landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio working on high-profile mixed-use, public space, and master-planned community projects. Comparable in the integration of planning entitlement expertise with landscape architecture design.
• Andropogon Associates: Landscape architecture and planning firm with expertise in master planning, site design, and ecological landscape work. Comparable in integrated planning + landscape architecture service delivery for developers and public-sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• Kimley-Horn: Large national consulting firm with significant Florida planning, landscape architecture, and entitlement practices. Competes with UDS on Florida development projects but operates at much greater scale with a broader service portfolio including engineering and environmental services.
• Stantec: Global design and consulting firm with planning and landscape architecture practices in Florida. Overlaps with UDS on community development and land use planning but offers a far broader portfolio across infrastructure, water, and environmental disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/udkstudios

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 Urban Design Studio