What Urba Consulting does

Urbaconsulting is a privately held French professional services firm headquartered in Paris (120 avenue des Champs-Élysées) that provides urban planning, municipal development, and capacity-building consulting to government ministries, municipalities, and international development organizations operating in the global South. Founded in 2006 and led since 2017 by Managing Director Audrey Crocker, the firm executes project-based mandates covering feasibility studies, technical assistance, institutional strengthening, socio-economic surveys, project evaluations (OECD/DAC criteria), environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA/RAP/GENDER), public services monitoring (water, sanitation, waste), municipal finance and land tenure advisory, decentralization and governance support, and climate change adaptation.

The firm operates a labor-intensive consulting model rather than a product or platform business, with a small permanent headcount (reported 1-10) supported by a broader bench of ~24 named experts across urban planning, civil engineering, sociology, economics, law, gender, environmental management, and communications. It is part of The Global Development Group, a federation of affiliated specialist firms — Hydroconseil (water/sanitation, Avignon), Nexsom (Latin America, Bogotá), Kattan, Humanov, and Ekoya (Central Africa, Yaoundé) — that together enable multi-disciplinary consortium bidding and in-region delivery.

Revenue is generated exclusively through quote-based, project-specific contracts awarded via competitive tender by institutional funders including GIZ, AFD, the World Bank, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Expertise France, with active project footprints spanning roughly 20 countries across West/Central/Southern Africa, the Middle East, South America, and South/East Asia. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, there is no software or SaaS component, and no external institutional investment has been identified.

Name

Urba Consulting

Legal name

Urbaconsulting

Website

https://urbaconsulting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urbaconsulting is a Paris-based professional services firm providing urban planning, municipal development, and capacity-building consulting to governments and international development organizations across roughly 20 countries in the global South, executing project-based mandates for funders such as AFD, GIZ, the World Bank, and UNICEF.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Development Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Infrastructure-Adjacent Real Estate Advisory (BPAJANAL), Performance Management & Productivity Consulting (BPAHAGAL)

Keywords

• Urban development consulting
• Municipal capacity building
• Urban planning services
• Technical assistance projects
• International development consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Project-based consulting engagements for urban planning, municipal development, capacity building, and technical assistance. Revenue generated through fees for studies, evaluations, technical assistance, and project management services commissioned by government agencies, municipalities, and international development organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Urba Consulting is a private professional services firm that delivers urban planning, municipal development, and capacity-building consulting for stakeholders in the global South. Its core offering consists of project-based consulting engagements covering feasibility studies, technical assistance, socio-economic surveys, project evaluations, impact assessments, public services monitoring, and project management, typically commissioned by government agencies, municipalities, and bilateral or multilateral development organizations.

Product overview

Urba Consulting is a consultancy firm providing specialized urban planning and municipal development services. Their offering consists of a comprehensive suite of consulting services rather than a software platform or product portfolio. Services include feasibility studies, technical assistance and capacity building, socio-economic surveys, project evaluation, urban/social/environmental project management, impact assessments (ESIA/RAP/GENDER), public services monitoring, preliminary studies for urban projects, municipal investment programs, land tenure security, local finance advisory, municipal asset management, urban development planning, decentralization support, flood and drainage management, waste management consulting, and climate change adaptation. These services support stakeholders in the global South to achieve sustainable urban development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Urban Planning and Development Consulting Comprehensive consulting services supporting sustainable urban development for stakeholders in the global South, including master plans, urban development strategies, planning, design, and implementation support for national and municipal authorities.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• HydroconseilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary company within the Global Development Group. Hydroconseil specializes in water and sanitation projects and collaborates on joint engagements, particularly for water supply master planning and infrastructure studies.
• NexsomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary within the Global Development Group based in Colombia. Nexsom contributes urban development expertise with a presence in Latin America.
• KattancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary within the Global Development Group, providing urban development and consulting services.
• HumanovcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary within the Global Development Group based in Avignon, France, focused on sustainable development consulting.
• EkoyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary within the Global Development Group based in Yaoundé, Cameroon, providing local development expertise in Africa.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Cities Alliance: Global partnership hosted by UN-Habitat supporting city-level inclusive development and slum upgrading. Comparable mission and donor-funded project delivery model for the urban poor.

Broad incumbents

• Egis: Large French engineering and consulting group with deep urban development, transport, water, and PPP advisory practices in emerging markets. Overlaps with Urba on infrastructure and municipal investment program work but at much larger scale.
• WSP Global: Global professional services firm with established urban planning, transport, environment, and infrastructure advisory practices serving multilateral donors and governments in developing economies.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm offering urban planning, environment, transportation, and water services for public-sector and donor clients in the Global South.
• ARUP: International engineering and urban development consultancy advising cities and development institutions on planning, resilience, and infrastructure — competes with Urba on high-end urban mandates.
• UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urban development, providing policy advice, technical cooperation, and capacity building to municipalities — a natural counterpart and competitor for donor-funded urban mandates.

Direct peers

• IECD: European Institute for Cooperation and Development, a French-rooted NGO implementing development projects in education, health, and urban livelihoods across Africa and the Middle East. Comparable donor-funded project delivery model.
• GRET: French professional development organization providing consulting, studies, and technical assistance on water/sanitation, urban services, and local governance in developing countries — overlapping with Urba's municipal-capacity and WASH offerings.
• Sofreco: French development consulting firm advising governments, ministries, and donors on infrastructure, urban planning, and public-sector reform. Direct peer in country, business model, and donor client base (notably AFD).

Others

• Hydroconseil: Sister firm within the Global Development Group specializing in water and sanitation consulting. Closely comparable service profile but operates as an affiliated entity rather than a true external competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbaconsulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Urba Consulting