Equitable Cities

What Equitable Cities does

Equitable Cities, now operating as Horizon 54, is a privately held, minority- and veteran-owned urban planning, public policy, and research firm headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey. Founded in 2014, the firm operates with a 1-10 person team and conducts street-level research at the intersection of transportation, health, and equity. The company maintains a client roster spanning city governments (Orlando, Toronto, Charlotte), state agencies (Virginia Department of Health, Utah Department of Transportation), regional agencies (Oregon Metro, NYC Center for Health Equity), federal program delivery (Thriving Communities Program), and a network of nonprofit advocacy organizations (People for Bikes, Cascade Bicycle Club, Washington Area Bicyclist Association, 8 80 Cities, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors).

The firm's service portfolio covers seven core practice areas: Planning & Design for People and Place, Research/Data & Strategic Analysis, Policy/Governance & Systems Change, Community Engagement & Trust-Building, Implementation/Technical Assistance & Delivery, Keynote Delivery & Workshop Leadership, and Storytelling/Communications & Multimedia. There is no proprietary technology platform; the firm delivers services through direct client engagements built on the principal's expertise, supported by project-based publications such as the Community Connectors research program and the Complete Streets Regional Conversation workshop series. The firm cites having shaped over $10 million in research informing national policy on transportation, health, and equity, though this refers to research output value rather than company revenue.

Commercially, the firm runs a sales-led, direct-engagement professional services model targeting government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are negotiated per engagement. Marketing is driven by thought leadership — the founder is positioned as a nationally recognized speaker on transportation equity, with conference keynotes, panel moderation, and workshop facilitation serving as the primary top-of-funnel channel. The firm rebranded from Equitable Cities to Horizon 54 in 2024 to broaden its positioning into policy and engineering work. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors.

Name

Equitable Cities

Legal name

Horizon 54

Website

https://equitablecities.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Equitable Cities (now Horizon 54) is a minority- and veteran-owned urban planning, public policy, and research firm that delivers consulting, research, and community engagement services to government agencies, nonprofits, and public institutions at the intersection of transportation, health, and equity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning Consulting

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE)

Keywords

• Urban planning consulting
• Transportation policy research
• Community engagement services
• Equity policy advisory
• Public health consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Somerset

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Consulting Services: The firm generates revenue through consulting engagements with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions. Services include planning and design, research and strategic analysis, policy development, community engagement, technical assistance, and keynote/workshop delivery. Engagements appear to be project-based and contract-driven.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Equitable Cities (now Horizon 54) is an urban planning, public policy, and research firm that delivers consulting services to government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and public institutions at the intersection of transportation, health, and equity. Its service portfolio spans Planning & Design for People and Place, Research/Data & Strategic Analysis, Policy/Governance & Systems Change, Community Engagement & Trust-Building, Implementation/Technical Assistance & Delivery, Keynote Delivery & Workshop Leadership, and Storytelling/Communications & Multimedia, delivered through project-based engagements.

Product overview

Equitable Cities, now rebranded as Horizon 54, is a full-service urban planning, public policy, and research consulting firm. The company offers a portfolio of professional services including Planning & Design for People and Place, Research/Data & Strategic Analysis, Policy/Governance & Systems Change, Community Engagement & Trust-Building, Implementation/Technical Assistance & Delivery, Keynote Delivery & Workshop Leadership, and Storytelling/Communications & Multimedia. The firm conducts street-level research and collaborates with community partners and clients, working at the intersection of transportation, health, and equity. Projects include the Thriving Communities Program, Thriving Communities Technical Assistance, Community Connectors, and Complete Streets Regional Conversation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning & Design for People and Place Partners with local governments, regional agencies, and public institutions to design systems that are accessible, equitable, fiscally responsible, and resilient to long-term environmental and economic change.
• Research, Data, & Strategic Analysis Shapes research informing national policy on transportation, health, and equity through evidence-based guidance, policy options, and educational materials for client communities.
• Policy, Governance & Systems Change Crafts planning policy frameworks in collaboration with the communities they serve and embeds them into day-to-day government decision-making processes.
• Community Engagement & Trust-Building Helps communities build the tools, confidence, and institutional pathways needed to influence long-term outcomes, treating community engagement as a core planning function.
• Implementation, Technical Assistance, & Delivery Provides flexible, practical technical assistance and engagement strategies that help clients unlock funding, reduce political risk, and implement equitable change without overwhelming their staff.
• Keynote Delivery & Workshop Leadership Delivers keynotes, moderates panel discussions, and facilitates workshops on transportation equity, health equity, community/civic engagement, and active transportation planning and policy.
• Storytelling, Communications & Multimedia Partners with clients to create narratives through full-scale video production, podcast development, video series, and ongoing vlog storytelling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $10 million in research shaped informing national policy on transportation, health, and equity

Named customers16 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

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Mobility Equity Lab: Research and policy organization focused on transportation equity and mobility justice. Compares as a peer in the equity-focused transportation research and policy niche that Horizon 54 targets.
• Street Plans Collaborative: Mission-driven urban planning and active transportation consultancy focused on multimodal and tactical urbanism projects. Comparable in size and ideological posture to Horizon 54, often competing for similar community-driven planning engagements.
• 8 80 Cities: Nonprofit focused on creating safe, vibrant public spaces and active transportation programming. While a listed Horizon 54 client, it operates in overlapping adjacent programming and speaking circuits in the same equity-and-mobility space.

Direct peers

• Alta Planning + Design: National active transportation and trail planning consultancy. Closely comparable in mission and client base, competing for similar bicycle, pedestrian, and Complete Streets technical-assistance work with cities and nonprofits.
• Fehr & Peers: Transportation engineering and planning firm with a strong practice in active transportation, safety, and multimodal planning. Competes for similar public-sector planning and technical-assistance engagements.
• Kittelson & Associates: Transportation engineering and planning consultancy with a national practice. Overlaps with Horizon 54 on multimodal planning, complete streets, and active transportation technical assistance for public agencies.
• Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates: Transportation planning firm specializing in multimodal, transit-oriented, and equity-focused mobility planning. Competes for the same type of government and nonprofit engagements at the intersection of transportation and equity.
• Toole Design Group: Multi-disciplinary planning and engineering firm focused on active transportation and multimodal street design. Direct competitor for transportation and equity planning engagements with U.S. public-sector clients, and a listed former Horizon 54 collaborator.
• Sam Schwartz Engineering: Transportation planning and engineering consultancy serving public agencies. Comparable in delivering planning, policy, and technical assistance work for municipalities and DOTs, including equity-oriented initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy: National advocacy nonprofit for active transportation and trail networks. A larger, more established incumbent in the active-transportation and equity space that influences similar policy and funding outcomes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CitiesEquitable
• Facebookfacebook.com/Equitable-Cities
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equitable-cities-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Equitable Cities