What AltoStep does

ALTO STEP (legal name: ALTO STEP / Stratégie Environnementale pour le Territoire et le Patrimoine) is a French environmental engineering and sustainable urban planning consultancy founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bordeaux. The firm delivers environmental assessments, urban master planning (MOE), advisory services to project owners (AMO), and Voiries et R\u00e9seaux Durables (VRD) engineering for climate-resilient public space and infrastructure projects. Its operations are structured around three interconnected service poles: Environnement (environmental engineering, climate adaptation, biodiversity, water and energy strategies), VRD (roads and sustainable networks), and Usages & Participation citoyenne (citizen engagement and uses innovation, formerly the DVTup entity integrated in July 2024). ALTO STEP also develops proprietary internal methodologies, notably Urb'Ecosys, which parameterizes environmental flows and synergies for an urban operation, and is an early-mover user of BIM/CIM digital modeling for public spaces.

The firm operates from four offices in Bordeaux, Paris, Lyon, and Nantes and serves almost exclusively French public-sector clients, including municipalities (e.g., Ville de Paris, Ville de Bordeaux), metropolitan authorities (Clermont Auvergne M\u00e9tropole, Bordeaux M\u00e9tropole), and public urban development operators such as EPA Bordeaux Euratlantique, SEMAPA, SPL Terrinov, and Paris & M\u00e9tropole Am\u00e9nagement, alongside selected private real estate developers (e.g., ICADE). Revenue is generated through fee-based professional services contracts secured via competitive public procurement (tenders, framework agreements, and consortium bids) and, to a lesser extent, direct consulting mandates. The firm differentiates through environmental engineering expertise embedded in urban design, participation in flagship projects such as the Place de la Concorde redevelopment (with Philippe Prost) and M\u00e9rignac Soleil (with OMA), and selection in three of the 30 France 2030 'D\u00e9monstrateurs de la Ville Durable' projects.

Name

AltoStep

Legal name

ALTO STEP / Stratégie Environnementale pour le Territoire et le Patrimoine

Website

https://altostep.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ALTO STEP is a French environmental engineering and sustainable urban planning consultancy founded in 2008, serving municipalities, metropolitan authorities, and public urban developers across France. Operating from Bordeaux, Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, the firm delivers environmental assessments, urban master planning, VRD engineering, and citizen participation services via public tenders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Engineering and Urban Planning Consultancy

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Environmental engineering consulting
• Sustainable urban planning
• VRD infrastructure engineering
• Climate adaptation consulting
• Citizen participation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bordeaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Consulting Services: ALTO STEP generates revenue through fee-based professional services contracts on urban development and environmental engineering projects. Services include master planning (MOE - Maîtrise d'Œuvre), advisory (AMO - Assistance à Maîtrise d'Ouvrage), environmental consulting, sustainable development strategy, and VRD (Voiries et Réseaux Durables) engineering. Revenue is project-based, derived from public procurement competitions and private sector consulting mandates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ALTO STEP delivers environmental engineering and urban planning consultancy services for sustainable territorial projects, urban redevelopment, and public space design. The firm operates through three service poles (Environment, VRD Roads & Sustainable Networks, and Usages & Citizen Participation) covering master planning (MOE), advisory (AMO), environmental studies, VRD engineering, and participatory approaches for public-sector clients and real estate developers.

Product overview

ALTO STEP is an environmental and urban engineering consultancy offering a comprehensive portfolio of services for sustainable urban development. The company operates through three interconnected poles: Environment (environmental engineering, studies, and assessments), VRD/Voiries & Réseaux Durables (roads and sustainable networks), and Usages & Participation Citoyenne (uses and citizen participation, formerly DVTup). The company also employs proprietary methodologies including the Urb'Ecosys tool for ecosystem-based environmental parameter analysis and is a pioneer in BIM applications for public spaces. Services span master planning, environmental impact studies, project management assistance (AMO), and full design engineering (MOE) across urban development, transportation, public spaces, and climate resilience projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DVTup (Usages et Participation citoyenne): Pôle 'Usages et Participation citoyenne' - specializes in citizen participation, uses innovation, and agroecology animation in urban planning projects.

Products and services

• Environmental Engineering Services Core engineering consultancy services covering environmental studies, sustainable urban planning, climate resilience, biodiversity integration, stormwater management, energy optimization, and carbon footprint assessment. Delivered to public-sector clients and real estate developers for urban development projects.
• VRD - Voiries & R\u00e9seaux Durables (Roads and Sustainable Networks) Roads and sustainable networks engineering services covering design and execution of public spaces, roadways, utilities, alternative stormwater management systems, and soft mobility infrastructure. Delivered for public-sector clients and real estate developers across France.
• Usages & Participation Citoyenne (Citizen Participation) Participatory approaches, citizen engagement, innovative concertation methodologies, and agroecology animation for urban planning projects. Provides citizen participation services for public-sector clients developing urban projects.
• Innovation and Resilient City Consulting Innovation-driven consulting on resilient urban design, employing the proprietary Urb'Ecosys methodology for environmental ecosystem parameterization and BIM/CIM digital modeling for public spaces. Delivered to support climate adaptation, cost control, and project coordination on complex urban development projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 school and childcare center courtyards adapted for climate resilience in Bordeaux
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• In Situ – Paysages et UrbanismecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn Situ serves as mandataire (lead partner) in the Allées du Cardo project in Clermont-Ferrand with ALTO STEP providing VRD engineering and environmental advisory services as part of the project team alongside OGI, LEA, CH.V, and others. This is a key flagship urban redevelopment project.
• AAPP / Atelier d'architecture Philippe ProstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP is part of the design team for Place de la Concorde redevelopment led by architect Philippe Prost (AAPP) alongside Atelier de Paysages Bruel Delmar and ETC. This is among the most high-profile urban design projects in France.
• Vivapolis NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP contributed to a series of documentation sheets on soil value in urban projects, developed by the Vivapolis network with support from Cerema and France Nature Environnement in March 2019.
• CoBe Architecture et PaysageminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerALTO STEP delivered a six-part training program on resilient cities for CoBe Architecture et Paysage in 2023, covering urban resilience, environmental prerequisites, water management, and energy-carbon strategies.
• Ecole des Ingénieurs de la Ville de Paris (EIVP)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP co-organized an 8-session conference series on ecological urbanism and the living resilient city with EIVP in autumn 2020, featuring prominent speakers on energy, climate, urban biodiversity, and sustainable development.
• France 2030 / Démonstrateurs de la Ville Durable ProgramcoreOthersALTO STEP participates in three of the 30 national 'Démonstrateurs de la Ville Durable' projects under the France 2030 program: Genève Innovation (Ferney-Voltaire), Mérignac Soleil (Bordeaux Métropole), and Grand Matabiau quai d'Oc (Toulouse Métropole). These are flagship national urban innovation projects.
• AWP / EPFL / Alice / Topotek 1moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP participated in the international consultation 'Visions prospectives pour le Grand Genève' alongside AWP, EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne), Alice, and Topotek 1. The 12-month consultation explored urban biodiversity, climate resilience, and territorial tools for sustainable development.
• ICADEmoderateImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerALTO STEP provides environmental and VRD engineering for ICADE's mixed-use Flaubert site project in Le Havre, working with architect Corinne Vezzoni, Frédéric Denise, and landscape agency HYL as part of the 'Réinventer Le Havre' program.
• D'Ici Là (paysagistes concepteurs)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP accompanied D'Ici Là - paysagistes concepteurs on the Jardin Argenté project at Plateau de Saclay, which won bronze in the Victoires du Paysage awards. The project featured innovative rainwater management and biodiversity design.
• CeremaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP collaborated with Cerema on the Vivapolis soil value documentation project and is referenced in Cerema publications related to sustainable urban development solutions.
• ADEMEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP co-authored several publications with ADEME including the Guide on urban heat island mitigation for local authorities (2012), a best practices compendium on urban cooling (2013), and contributed to ADEME-funded research on sustainable urban development.
• AirZen RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerALTO STEP was interviewed by AirZen Radio (a national 100% positive radio station) on the topic of nature in cities, producing three podcast segments on urban greenery, cooling islands, and school courtyard climate adaptation.
• OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP is part of the design team for Mérignac Soleil led by OMA (Rem Koolhaas) alongside Michel Desvigne Paysagiste, providing VRD engineering and environmental consulting on this major 69-hectare urban redevelopment project.
• AMT / 2SAU / TALPAmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerALTO STEP joined forces with AMT, 2SAU, and TALPA for the MOE (master planning) mission on the urban project of the city of Lucé, with ALTO STEP also leading the AMO DD Low Carbon Strategy alongside AIREA, Ecosphère, Orféa, and ETC.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Verdi Ingénierie: Verdi is a French independent engineering consultancy specialised in sustainable urban development, environment, energy, and VRD - effectively a sister firm to ALTO STEP targeting the same mid-sized public-sector tenders in France.
• INGEROP: INGEROP is a French independent engineering group active in urban development, transport infrastructure, environment, and VRD engineering; a directly comparable competitor for AMO/MOE mandates on French public-sector projects.
• Inddigo: Inddigo is a French independent consultancy dedicated to sustainable development, environment, energy, and urban transition, advising public authorities on strategies similar to ALTO STEP's AMO/sustainable-development mandates.
• Oteis: Oteis is a French engineering and project management firm specialised in VRD, environment, and urban development, comparable to ALTO STEP in scale and target French public-sector clientele.
• Cabinet Merlin: Cabinet Merlin is a long-standing French engineering consultancy known for VRD, water, and urban infrastructure projects; a directly comparable peer bidding on similar French municipal and metropolitan tenders.
• Antea Group: Antea Group is a French-rooted international environment and infrastructure engineering consultancy active in environmental studies, water, and urban development, comparable to ALTO STEP in environmental engineering scope.

Broad incumbents

• Egis: Egis is a major French-headquartered international engineering group with substantial urban planning, environment, and infrastructure practices that compete with ALTO STEP on larger French public works tenders.
• ARTELIA: ARTELIA is a large French engineering and project management group with environment, city, and mobility divisions that overlap directly with ALTO STEP's urban development and VRD engineering offerings.
• Setec: Setec is a leading French engineering group covering urban planning, infrastructure, environment, and VRD; a broad incumbent that competes for similar MOE/AMO mandates issued by French municipalities and EPAs.
• SUEZ Consulting: SUEZ Consulting (incorporating BURGEAP and ex-Safege) is a large French environmental and urban engineering consultancy serving public-sector clients on water, environment, and urban development - directly comparable to ALTO STEP's environmental engineering practice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 AltoStep