Agence d'urbanisme

What Agence d'urbanisme does

Agence d'urbanisme, région nîmoise et alésienne (A'U) is a public urban planning agency founded in 1989 and headquartered in Nîmes, France. It serves as a technical arm of local and regional authorities in the Gard department (Occitanie region), providing expertise in territorial planning, housing, mobility, and climate adaptation. Its core offerings include the elaboration and revision of statutory planning documents (Schéma de Cohérence Territoriale / SCoT, Programme Local de l'Habitat / PLH, Plan de Déplacements / PDU-PLD), support for Plan Climat Air Energie Territorial (PCAET), and a portfolio of territorial observatories covering commercial real estate, flood risk, housing, and mobility. Methodologies are based on territorial diagnostics, GIS mapping (including urban heat island mapping for Nîmes Métropole), participatory tools such as exploratory walks (marches exploratoires), and structured data partnerships with INSEE, EPF Occitanie, and major commercial real estate firms (Arthur Loyd, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, DGi, Tissot Immobilier).

The agency's underlying technology stack consists of in-house observation tools and the recently launched Atlas des formes urbaines, alongside a 43-fact-sheet housing policy toolkit (Boîte à outils de l'habitat). A 2026 job posting for a Data Engineer / IS Manager indicates ongoing investment in data infrastructure. A'U operates as one of approximately 50 agencies affiliated with the FNAU (Fédération Nationale des Agences d'Urbanisme) and is a member of the Collectif des 3 agences d'Occitanie (with Perpignan and Toulouse) since 2015. It employs 11-50 staff and is governed by a President (Frédéric Touzellier) and Director (Patrice Fournier).

A'U is financed through recurring membership contributions from its member territorial collectivities, primarily Nîmes Métropole and Alès Agglomération, supplemented by ad hoc mission contracts with additional EPCI and communes. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; services are delivered under framework agreements and public procurement rules rather than commercial sales. Distribution is direct and institutional, with no resellers or third-party channels, and visibility is maintained through the FNAU network, Inter-SCoT clubs, the annual 'Speed-dating de l'urbanisme' event, the ActU journal, and the audrna.com website.

Name

Agence d'urbanisme

Legal name

Agence d'urbanisme, région nîmoise et alésienne

Website

https://audrna.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agence d'urbanisme (A'U) is a public urban planning agency founded in 1989 in Nîmes, France, providing territorial diagnostics, SCoT/PLH/PDU planning, climate adaptation, and observatory services to member collectivities in the Gard department, financed through institutional membership contributions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nîmes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership contributions from territorial collectivities: A'U is financed by contributions from its member collectivities, primarily Nîmes Métropole, Alès Agglomération, and other EPCI and communes in the Gard and surrounding area. Services are rendered under frameworks established with these institutional partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Agence d'urbanisme, région nîmoise et alésienne (A'U) is a public urban planning agency providing research, observation, and advisory services to territorial collectivities. It delivers territorial diagnostics, statutory planning document elaboration (SCoT, PLH, PDU, PCAET), real estate and land observatories, climate adaptation studies, and participatory engagement methods to municipalities, intercommunal structures (EPCI), and institutional partners in the Gard department of France.

Product overview

Agence d'urbanisme, région nîmoise et alésienne (A'U) is an urban planning agency providing research, observation, and advisory services rather than a software product company. The agency's offerings center around territorial planning expertise, including urban observatories (Observatoire de l'immobilier, risk observatories), planning tools (SCoT development, PLH support, PLD development), climate adaptation services (PCAET support, urban heat mapping), and community engagement tools (marchés exploratoires). These are professional consulting and planning services delivered to member municipalities and territorial partners, not software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Schéma de Cohérence Territoriale (SCoT) Development
• Programme Local de l'Habitat (PLH) Support
• Plan Climat Air Energie Territorial (PCAET) Support
• Plans Locaux de Déplacements (PLD)
• Observatoire de l'immobilier et du foncier d'entreprise
• Atlas des formes urbaines
• Boîte à outils de l'habitat
• Écoquartiers Support Services
• Marchés exploratoires (exploratory walks)
• Club Mobilité

Quantifiable outcome

• Developed 43 housing policy fact sheets for partner implementation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• INSEE OccitaniecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018A'U collaborates with INSEE Occitanie on demographic and residential migration analyses. Joint studies cover the SCoT Sud Gard, Uzège-Pont du Gard, and Pays des Cévennes territories, using INSEE population data to assess territorial attractiveness.
• Collectif des 3 agences d'urbanisme d'Occitanie (Nîmes-Alès, Perpignan, Toulouse)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Since late 2015, the three urban planning agencies of the new Occitanie region — Nîmes-Alès, Perpignan, and Toulouse — have collaborated to pool expertise and share territorial knowledge. They produce joint studies such as 'Dynamiques d'Occitanie' and hold annual seminars, contributing to regional planning discussions with institutional partners (DREAL, DDTM, EPF Occitanie, Conseil Régional, Ademe, Insee).
• Arthur Loyd, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, DGi, Tissot ImmobilierminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThese major commercial real estate firms contribute data and expertise to the biannual Observatoire de l'immobilier et du foncier d'entreprise de Nîmes Métropole, which A'U coordinates and publishes.
• Nîmes MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs the agency's primary institutional partner and founding member, Nîmes Métropole entrusts A'U with a broad range of missions including PLH review, PDU elaboration, PCAET support, NPNRU urban renewal, bike plan, property observatory, and climate adaptation studies.
• DDTM du Gard (Direction Départementale des Territoires et de la Mer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Gard department's territorial authority on flood risk observatory updates, Ecoquartier labeling campaigns, housing guides (Petites Villes de Demain), and inter-SCoT coordination in the Gard.
• Région OccitaniecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRégion Occitanie is a key institutional partner supporting the Bourg Centre Occitanie device, co-funding studies, and participating in inter-SCoT coordination. A'U assists communes in preparing Bourg Centre contracts with the Region.
• FNAU (Fédération Nationale des Agences d'Urbanisme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA'U is affiliated with the FNAU, which organizes the annual national encounter of urban planning agencies (attended by ~50 French agencies), publishes the 'Traits d'agences' journal, and runs specialized clubs (Club PUP, Club Urbanisme).
• Alès AgglomérationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlès Agglomération is a founding institutional member of A'U, engaging the agency for SCoT elaboration, industrial brownfield renewal (La Grand'Combe), and collaboration on events such as the RIVE (Rencontres Internationales des Véhicules Écologiques).
• IFERISS (Institut Fédératif d'Etudes et de Recherches Interdisciplinaires Santé Société)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA'U co-animates the URBAN ISS PRO training program with the Occitanie collective of urban planning agencies and IFERISS, focused on improving urban planning practices for health equity.
• EPF Occitanie (Établissement Public Foncier)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPF Occitanie participates in Bourg Centre contracts and territorial development projects coordinated by A'U, providing land banking and reconquest of brownfield sites support.
• PETR Causses et CévennescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PETR Causses et Cévennes (Territorial Pole of Rural Equilibrium) has engaged A'U to elaborate its SCoT since 2021, including prospective seminars, thematic workshops, and the Strategic Planning Project (PAS) for a 2040 vision.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• setec ( groupe setec ): Broad incumbent as a large French engineering consultancy with urban planning, transportation, and environmental practices (setec urba, setec its, setec environnement). Competes for public planning mandates that A'U might otherwise capture, but at much larger scale and with a private consulting model.
• Egis Group: Broad incumbent as a major French engineering and consulting group with urban planning, mobility, and climate adaptation practices. Competes with A'U on larger public procurement tenders for SCoT elaboration, mobility plans, and climate strategies, but operates as a private, multi-disciplinary firm.

Direct peers

• Institut Paris Région (formerly IAU îdF): Direct peer as the largest FNAU-affiliated urban planning agency in France, serving the Île-de-France region. Provides the same planning expertise and observatory services (SDRIF, PLH, climate) but at regional rather than departmental scale.
• a'urba (Agence d'urbanisme de Bordeaux): Direct peer as an FNAU-affiliated public urban planning agency serving the Bordeaux metropolitan area. Delivers SCoT, PLH, PDU, climate adaptation, and observatory services to Gironde territorial collectivities under the same institutional framework as A'U.
• Agence d'urbanisme de Perpignan: Direct peer as the third agency in the Collectif des 3 agences d'Occitanie alongside A'U and Toulouse. Performs identical statutory planning missions (SCoT, PLH, PDU) for Pyrénées-Orientales collectivities under the same French legal framework.
• Agence d'urbanisme de Toulouse aire métropolitaine: Direct peer as the Toulouse-area urban planning agency and fellow member of both the FNAU and the Collectif des 3 agences d'Occitanie. Operates the same public-agency model (agence d'urbanisme), serving territorial collectivities across the Haute-Garonne with comparable missions (SCoT, PLH, PDU, observatories).
• Agence d'urbanisme de l'agglomération marseillaise (AGAM): Direct peer as an FNAU-affiliated public urban planning agency serving the Marseille metropolitan area. Operates the same institutional model with comparable statutory planning deliverables and observatory outputs for Bouches-du-Rhône collectivities.
• Agence d'urbanisme de la région lyonnaise (UrbaLyon): Direct peer as one of France's leading FNAU-affiliated urban planning agencies, serving the Lyon metropolitan area and surrounding conurbations. Provides the same taxonomy of services (SCoT, PLH, PDU, observatories) to territorial collectivities, though at a materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/audrna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Agence d'urbanisme