What Charlier Associates does

Charlier Associates, Inc. (CAI) is a privately held, boutique multimodal transportation planning firm headquartered at 2919 Valmont Road in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1990 and based in Boulder since 1993, the firm employs between 5 and 11 staff including President James F. Charlier (AICP), senior planners Terri Musser and Patrick Picard (both AICP), associate Vickie Jacobsen, and accountant Kelly Walker. CAI provides consulting services to state departments of transportation, regional agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, cities, counties, transit authorities, and private developers across the Western United States and select international markets. Service lines include community transportation plans, transit-oriented development planning, complete streets and pedestrian environment design, bicycle systems planning, downtown revitalization, smart growth and growth management, and transit system development.

The firm's core technology consists of data-driven analytical frameworks rather than a packaged software product. Key proprietary methodologies include a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) model built for the City of Aspen that integrates local, regional, state, and national data sources and can be sorted by travel group, vehicle type, fuel type, season, and internal versus external traffic; the first Transportation Analysis Zone map for the Roaring Fork Valley; SmartCode-based street atlases specifying multimodal cross-sections integrated with transect-based urban design; and a parking space equivalency analysis system developed for the City of Phoenix. These tools are deployed within consulting engagements rather than licensed as standalone products.

CAI operates a relationship-based professional services model with a hybrid go-to-market combining direct sales to government agencies and community-led engagement processes such as multi-day design charrettes, public workshops, stakeholder meetings, and focus groups. Revenue is generated through project-based quoting typical of municipal consulting, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The firm has recorded consistent outcomes including unanimously adopted plans in Jackson/Teton County, Brighton, and El Paso, a $2.5 million TIGER III grant award for Smith River Rancheria, and $2 billion in guided downtown investment in Scottsdale, Arizona. The firm is founder-owned, privately held, and shows no evidence of external institutional investment, parent company structure, or public listing.

Name

Charlier Associates

Legal name

Charlier Associates, Inc.

Website

https://charlier.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Charlier Associates is a Boulder, Colorado-based boutique consulting firm providing multimodal transportation planning, transit-oriented development, and complete streets services to municipal, regional, and state government clients plus private developers across the Western US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transportation Planning Consulting

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Infrastructure Planning (BPAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Multimodal transportation planning
• Transit oriented development
• Complete streets design
• Bicycle pedestrian planning
• Transportation master plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transportation Planning Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for multimodal transportation planning provided to government agencies and private developers. Services include transportation master plans, transit system planning, bicycle and pedestrian planning, downtown revitalization, transit-oriented development planning, and technical assistance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Charlier Associates, Inc. (CAI) is a multimodal transportation planning and consulting firm providing professional services to government agencies (state DOTs, regional agencies, MPOs, cities, counties, transit authorities) and private sector developers. Core service offerings include community transportation plans, transit-oriented development (TOD) planning, bicycle and pedestrian system planning, complete streets design, downtown revitalization, transit system development, and smart growth/growth management. Specialized studies include Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) modeling, regional travel patterns studies, and health impact assessments.

Product overview

Charlier Associates, Inc. (CAI) is a multimodal transportation planning firm that provides consulting services rather than a software product. The firm specializes in innovative approaches to improving community mobility for states, towns, cities, counties, regional agencies, and transit service providers. Their service offerings include: Community Transportation Plans, Smart Growth/Growth Management, Transit System Development, Complete Streets/Pedestrian Environments, Bicycle Systems, Downtown Revitalization, and Transit Oriented Development (TOD) planning. The firm also conducts specialized studies including Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) modeling, regional travel patterns studies, and health impact assessments. CAI was established in 1990 and is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Transportation Plans Comprehensive multimodal transportation master plans for communities, integrating walking, bicycling, transit, and vehicle modes into actionable frameworks with funding strategies. Delivered for state DOTs, regional agencies, MPOs, cities, counties, and transit authorities.
• Smart Growth / Growth Management Planning services integrating land use and transportation to manage community growth sustainably, including growth management strategies and frameworks for rapidly developing communities.
• Transit System Development Planning support for bus and rail transit operations, including corridor analysis, transit system planning, and commuter rail extensions (e.g., Rail Runner extension to Santa Fe).
• Complete Streets / Pedestrian Environments Multimodal street design and pedestrian environment planning, including multimodal street design modifications, cross-section design, and pedestrian infrastructure improvements for downtown corridors.
• Bicycle Systems Bicycle master planning and bicycle facility planning services for cities and regions, including the Bicycle Facility Planning PAS Report for the American Planning Association and citywide bike master plans.
• Downtown Revitalization Downtown planning and revitalization services integrating transportation, land use, and economic development strategies for historic downtowns and town centers (e.g., Downtown Scottsdale Plan, Downtown Kailua Pedestrian Plan).
• Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Transit-oriented development planning for station areas and corridors near rail and transit stations, supporting walkable communities with multimodal access to transit (e.g., Reinvent PHX, El Paso TOD Planning).

Quantifiable outcome

• Jackson/Teton Integrated Transportation Plan adopted unanimously (9-0 vote)
• +3 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Aztec EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership with Aztec Engineering for Phoenix Multimodal Street Design Modifications project. CAI and Aztec are assisting the City of Phoenix in developing and evaluating design alternatives for 3rd and 5th avenues downtown.
• Sonoran InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Charlier Associates has been working with Sonoran Institute on formation of the New Mobility West training and technical assistance program. NMW focuses on four Interior Western states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado.
• Community BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015New Mobility West is a featured program of Community Builders, a non-profit organization providing information, research, and analysis for developers, realtors, planners, and public officials building stronger economies in the American West. CAI serves on the faculty for the Community Builders Leadership Institute.
• US State DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Jim Charlier spent two weeks in September 2015 providing technical assistance workshops funded by the US State Department and coordinated by the US Embassy in Jakarta and Consulate in Sumatra for Indonesian municipalities and universities.
• Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharlier Associates assisted DPZ on the Reinvent PHX TOD implementation project for Phoenix, AZ. Reinvent PHX is a collaborative partnership between the City of Phoenix, HUD, Arizona State University, St. Luke's Health Initiatives and other organizations.
• Dover, Kohl & Partners (DKP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAI served as lead transportation subconsultant on multi-disciplinary teams led by DKP for El Paso TOD Planning and other integrated plans. Connected El Paso and Plan El Paso were both adopted unanimously by City Council.
• Atkin Olshin Schade ArchitectssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAI worked with Atkin Olshin Schade Architects on Santa Fe Transit Oriented Development, providing transportation planning support for station locations along the Rail Runner commuter rail extension to Santa Fe.
• Group 70 ArchitectssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAI coordinated with Group 70 architects on the Downtown Kailua Pedestrian Plan for Kaneohe Ranch Company in Hawaii.
• Smart Growth AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAI has been providing technical support to Smart Growth America since May 2008. Staff has served as technical authors and editors for the T4 Platform designed to guide federal surface transportation authorization legislation.
• Reconnecting AmericasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAI provides technical support to Reconnecting America as part of broader surface transportation policy partnership work.
• Surface Transportation Policy PartnershipsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAI provides technical support to the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, contributing to federal transportation policy development.
• Colorado Active Transportation Mile Markers PartnerssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAI led project team including Kaiser Permanente for Colorado Active Transportation Mile Markers Project to identify best practices in measuring bicycle and pedestrian travel.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MIG: Planning, design, and communications consultancy serving public agencies on multimodal plans, active transportation, and community engagement — comparable in methodology (extensive public engagement) and client base (cities, counties, transit agencies).
• Sasaki Associates: Planning and urban design firm with overlapping TOD, downtown revitalization, and integrated land use/transportation capabilities. Comparable in serving municipalities and developers on multi-disciplinary, design-led planning projects.
• Fehr & Peers: Specialized transportation planning and traffic engineering consultancy with a similar boutique-to-mid-size footprint. Directly competes with Charlier on multimodal planning, bicycle/pedestrian plans, TOD support, and VMT/travel demand analysis for municipalities.
• Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates: Multimodal and transit-oriented planning consultancy (now part of WSP) serving municipalities, transit agencies, and developers. Highly comparable in service mix (transit planning, TOD, downtown revitalization) and public-sector client base.
• Dover, Kohl & Partners: Town planning and urban design firm with new-urbanist orientation. Charlier has served as lead transportation subconsultant on multiple Dover, Kohl-led projects (Connected El Paso, Plan El Paso), making them a closely-linked peer in TOD planning delivery.
• Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ): New-urbanist planning and architecture firm. Charlier assisted DPZ on Reinvent PHX, and the two firms compete for and co-deliver walkable, TOD-focused master plans for municipalities and developers.
• Kittelson & Associates: Transportation engineering and planning firm with comparable multimodal and active-transportation planning offerings. Directly competes for municipal transportation master plan and corridor study engagements.
• Toole Design Group: Boutique multimodal planning firm with deep specialization in bicycle and pedestrian planning and complete streets — directly overlapping with Charlier's Complete Streets, Pedestrian Environments, and Bicycle Systems service lines for municipal clients.

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global professional services firm with a large multimodal transportation planning practice (including Nelson\Nygaard). Competes for the same municipal and state DOT planning work but as part of a much broader portfolio spanning engineering, environment, and program management.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with extensive multimodal transportation planning, transit, and complete streets capabilities. Competes for the same municipal and federal planning work as part of a broad transportation, environment, and design portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Charlier Associates