Placemakers

Name

Placemakers

Legal name

PlaceMakers, LLC

Website

https://placemakers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning & Placemaking Consulting

akta.pro primary industry

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises (BPAGALAO)

Keywords

• Urban planning consulting
• Form-based coding
• Zoning code reform
• Community engagement services
• Placemaking design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Planning Services: PlaceMakers generates revenue through professional consulting services for community planning, urban design, zoning code reform, and public engagement. Services are delivered to municipal governments and planning organizations through direct client relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PlaceMakers is a professional services firm that delivers community planning, urban design, zoning and code reform, and community engagement services to municipal governments, planning departments, and community development organizations. The firm produces research resources including The Codes Study (a collaborative global database of form-based codes) and the Green Infrastructure Toolkit (25 actions for sustainable communities), and publishes thought leadership through the Placemaking Journal.

Product overview

PlaceMakers is a placemaking consultancy offering a portfolio of professional services and research tools. Core offerings include Planning + Design Services, Zoning + Code Reform, and Outreach + Engagement services. The firm also provides two notable knowledge resources: The Codes Study (tracking 728 form-based codes worldwide) and the Green Infrastructure Toolkit (25 actions for sustainable communities). Additionally, the Placemaking Journal serves as a content resource. The company operates from offices in Albuquerque, NM, Atlanta, GA, Philadelphia, PA, and Washington, DC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Green Infrastructure Toolkit: A comprehensive set of 25 key actions that local governments can implement to create more sustainable and resilient communities, based on best practices for incorporating green infrastructure into local government planning and projects.
• The Codes Study

Products and services

• Planning + Design Services Customized services including parcel, neighborhood, and sector-focused illustrative design, as well as integrated master planning at neighborhood, community, and regional scales. Empowers shared vision with viable plans for healthier, more opportunity-filled community prospects. Targeted at municipal governments, planning departments, and community development organizations.
• Zoning + Code Reform Services Code reform solutions for communities hindered by single-use zoning, offering both form-based and conventional solutions to connect development goals with outcomes. Focuses on coding that embraces context and fosters character consistent with community goals. Targeted at planning departments and municipal governments seeking zoning modernization.
• Outreach + Engagement Services Community engagement services operating both in-person and online to meet people where they are, fostering inclusion and developing trust among stakeholders. Focuses on strategic listening and forging meaningful participation pacts. Targeted at municipal governments and community development organizations needing public participation support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 439 adopted form-based codes tracked in The Codes Study
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

One partnership is on record.

• Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlaceMakers led the collaborative Codes Study effort with FBCI criteria. The study tracks qualifying form-based codes worldwide that meet FBCI standards, including SmartCodes and other Transect-based codes. This partnership established PlaceMakers as a leading authority in form-based coding methodology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Stantec: Large multi-disciplinary design and consulting firm with urban planning, community development, and code-writing services; broad incumbent that overlaps on municipal planning work.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consultancy with a substantial urban planning and design practice; competes for large municipal master-planning contracts PlaceMakers cannot staff, but lacks PlaceMakers' form-based code specialization.

Direct peers

• DPZ CoDesign: The originator of the form-based code (SmartCode) and a leading New Urbanist planning firm; directly comparable to PlaceMakers in zoning reform and master planning, and a recurring collaborator on PlaceMakers projects (e.g., Calgary).
• Opticos Design: Specialist architecture and planning firm focused on form-based codes, missing middle housing, and walkable urbanism; competes for the same municipal code-reform and master-planning engagements as PlaceMakers.
• Sasaki Associates: Planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm with master planning and large-scale community design work; overlaps with PlaceMakers on regional and community-scale planning engagements.
• WRT Design: Urban design, planning, and landscape architecture firm working on community planning, transit-oriented development, and zoning; a similar mid-size competitor in the placemaking space.
• Torti Gallas + Partners: Urban design and architecture firm with a long track record in master planning, mixed-use, and town-center revitalization; competes for similar municipal planning and design work.
• Moule & Polyzoides: New Urbanist architecture and urban design practice with deep expertise in form-based coding and town planning; directly comparable in methodology and client base.

Others

• Form-Based Codes Institute (FBCI): Standards body that defines criteria for form-based codes and a close PlaceMakers partner on The Codes Study; adjacent enabler rather than a direct competitor.
• Congress for New Urbanism (CNU): Advocacy and education organization promoting walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods; a peer in the New Urbanism movement and ecosystem convener rather than a consulting competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/placemakersllc
• Facebookfacebook.com/PlaceMakersLLC
• Instagraminstagram.com/placemakersllc

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 Placemakers