Urban Systems Associates
Urban Systems Associates is a New Orleans-based professional services firm, founded in 1974, that provides traffic engineering and transportation planning consulting to government agencies, healthcare systems, universities, and private developers across Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersNew Orleans, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Urban Systems Associates does
Urban Systems Inc. (operating as Urban Systems Associates, DBA "USI") is a privately held professional services firm founded in 1974 and headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, with regional offices in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Biloxi, Mississippi. The firm specializes in traffic engineering and transportation planning, delivering services to public-sector clients (municipalities, state and federal agencies, regional planning commissions, parishes) and private-sector developers across the Gulf Coast region. Its leadership comprises President and Transportation Engineer Alison Catarella Michel (P.E., PTOE, PTP, RSP2i) and Vice President Nicole H. Stewart (P.E., PTOE), both multi-state registered Professional Engineers who have been with the firm since 2001 and 2005 respectively and assumed their current roles after a 2012 reorganization.
The firm's service portfolio spans five core practice areas: Traffic Engineering (traffic impact analysis, traffic signal systems design, traffic control device plans, geometric roadway design, microscopic traffic flow modeling); Transportation and Master Planning (land use planning, GIS analysis, zoning, site planning, transit planning, intersection and interchange design); Parking Solutions (facility evaluation, surface and structure design, demand studies, patron shuttle systems); Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Programs; and Project Management across the planning-design-construction lifecycle. Analytical work is performed using industry-standard traffic engineering software — TEAPAC, TEAPAC-Signal 2000, PASSER II, CORSIM, and VISSIM II — together with Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
The firm operates a project-based professional services revenue model, with engagement terms and pricing determined per project scope. Customer segments are deliberately diversified across healthcare systems (Ochsner, LSU Health, Children's Hospital New Orleans), universities (Tulane, Loyola), airports (Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport), gaming and hospitality (Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Harrah's Entertainment), entertainment venues and festivals (NFL, Fox Entertainment, Jazz & Heritage Festival, National WWII Museum), retail (Target, Chick-fil-A), and government (Louisiana DOTD, City of New Orleans). With 11-50 employees, the firm has remained privately held and principal-owned since its 1974 founding.
Urban Systems Associates firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urban Systems Associates
- Legal name
- Urban Systems Inc.
- Website
- https://urbansystems.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Urban Systems Associates is a New Orleans-based professional services firm, founded in 1974, that provides traffic engineering and transportation planning consulting to government agencies, healthcare systems, universities, and private developers across Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Gulf Coast.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urban Systems Associates industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning Consulting
- NAICS
- Engineering Services (54133)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Transportation & Traffic Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Transportation & Infrastructure Planning (BPAHAKAF), Traffic Management & Intelligent Transportation Systems (Signals, TMCs, Congestion) (BPAIALAC)
Keywords
Where Urban Systems Associates is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Orleans
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Urban Systems Associates business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Traffic Engineering Services: Professional consulting services for traffic engineering including traffic impact analysis, traffic signal design, traffic control device plans, geometric design, and traffic flow modeling. Billed on a project basis as professional services.
- Transportation Planning Services: Transportation planning and master planning services including land use planning, corridor studies, transit planning, and GIS analysis for public and private sector clients.
- Parking Facility Services: Parking demand evaluation, parking facility layout design, traffic circulation planning, and parking structure planning and design services.
- Project Management Services: Project management services throughout planning, design, and construction including estimating, project scheduling, and procurement support.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Urban Systems Associates product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urban Systems Associates provides professional traffic engineering and transportation planning consulting for government agencies, private developers, and enterprise clients. Core offerings span traffic impact analysis, signal systems and intersection/interchange design, traffic flow modeling and microsimulation, transportation and master planning (including land use, zoning, GIS, transit, and corridor studies), parking facility planning, bicycle and pedestrian safety programs, and project management through planning, design, and construction. Services are delivered by licensed professional engineers using industry-standard tools such as TEAPAC, PASSER II, CORSIM, and VISSIM II.
Product overview
Urban Systems Associates operates as a professional services firm offering integrated traffic engineering and transportation planning solutions. Their portfolio centers on five core service areas: Traffic Engineering (including traffic impact analysis, signal systems, control device plans, roadway geometric design, and traffic flow modeling); Transportation & Master Planning (encompassing intersection/interchange design, site master planning, and transit planning); Parking Solutions (covering facilities evaluation, surface and structure design); Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Programs; and Project Management. These services are delivered as professional consulting offerings rather than software products, utilizing specialized traffic engineering software including TEAPAC, PASSER II, CORSIM, and VISSIM II for technical analysis. The firm has operated since 1974 and serves clients across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and nationally.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Traffic Engineering Services Integrated traffic engineering consulting covering traffic impact analysis, traffic signal systems design, traffic control device plans, geometric design of roadways, intersection and interchange design, and microscopic traffic flow modeling, delivered to municipalities, state DOTs, and private developers.
- Transportation & Master Planning Services Comprehensive transportation and master planning for public and private clients, including land use planning, GIS-based zoning and site planning, transit planning, corridor studies, and site master planning at municipal, regional, state, and federal levels.
- Parking Facilities & Terminals Services Parking consulting covering parking demand and usage evaluations, surface parking design, parking structure planning and design, traffic circulation planning, and patron shuttle systems for airports, event venues, hospitals, universities, and commercial developments.
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Programs Safety-focused program for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, including facility inventories, recommendations for new bicycle paths and routes, accident analysis, pedestrian surveys, intersection safety audits, evacuation routes, incident management, and traffic calming programs.
- Project Management Services Project management support across the full project lifecycle — planning, design, and construction — including cost estimating, project scheduling, and procurement support for traffic and transportation infrastructure projects.
Companies that use Urban Systems Associates
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Urban Systems Associates technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Urban Systems Associates partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Urban Systems Associates competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with extensive transportation planning, traffic engineering, and program management practices — competes for the same DOT and municipal RFPs as Urban Systems but at enterprise scale with broader service breadth.
- WSP: Global engineering professional services firm with a large transportation and traffic engineering practice covering planning, corridor design, ITS, and signal systems — overlaps with Urban Systems but offers significantly broader multi-disciplinary capabilities.
- HDR Inc. Engineering and architecture firm with a robust transportation practice offering traffic engineering, corridor studies, and multimodal planning — competes for similar state DOT and municipal work across the Southeast.
- Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental services firm with a transportation group providing traffic engineering and transportation planning — comparable services at much broader geographic and disciplinary scale.
- Burns & McDonnell: Engineering, architecture, and construction firm with transportation and traffic engineering services — competes in adjacent Southeast markets for similar public-sector transportation planning work.
- HNTB Corporation: Infrastructure solutions firm with significant transportation planning, traffic engineering, and program management practices — frequently competes with Urban Systems for state DOT and large municipal corridor projects.
Direct peers
- VHB: Transportation engineering and planning consultancy offering traffic engineering, signal design, corridor studies, and master planning services — directly comparable in service lines with a stronger East Coast regional concentration.
- Kimley-Horn: One of the largest U.S. traffic engineering and transportation planning consultancies, offering traffic impact studies, signal design, corridor modeling, and transportation planning — directly overlapping Urban Systems' core service portfolio, but at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
- Fehr & Peers: Boutique transportation planning and traffic engineering firm specializing in traffic impact analysis, multimodal planning, and signal operations — closely comparable in service mix to Urban Systems, with a similarly focused boutique positioning.
Regional players
- GHD: Global engineering and architecture firm with a strong presence in Australia and North America offering transportation planning and traffic engineering services — comparable service lines though primarily competing in different geographies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Urban Systems Associates social profiles
Digital presenceUrban Systems Associates financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urban Systems Associates leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Urban Systems Associates funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urban Systems Associates M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urban Systems Associates
What does Urban Systems Associates do?
Urban Systems Associates provides professional traffic engineering and transportation planning consulting for government agencies, private developers, and enterprise clients. Core offerings span traffic impact analysis, signal systems and intersection/interchange design, traffic flow modeling and microsimulation, transportation and master planning (including land use, zoning, GIS, transit, and corridor studies), parking facility planning, bicycle and pedestrian safety programs, and project management through planning, design, and construction. Services are delivered by licensed professional engineers using industry-standard tools such as TEAPAC, PASSER II, CORSIM, and VISSIM II.
Is Urban Systems Associates a public or private company?
Urban Systems Associates is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Urban Systems Associates founded?
Urban Systems Associates was founded in 1974. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Urban Systems Associates based?
Urban Systems Associates is headquartered in New Orleans, United States, in the North America region.
How does Urban Systems Associates make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Traffic Engineering Services are the primary driver. The others are transportation Planning Services, parking Facility Services and project Management Services.
Who are Urban Systems Associates's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AECOM, WSP, HDR Inc., Stantec, Burns & McDonnell and HNTB Corporation. Direct peers are VHB, Kimley-Horn and Fehr & Peers. GHD is listed as a regional player.
Does Urban Systems Associates have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urban Systems Associates.
What industry is Urban Systems Associates in?
Urban Systems Associates's product category is Traffic Engineering and Transportation Planning Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAC, Transportation & Traffic Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAHAKAF, Transportation & Infrastructure Planning. Its NAICS code is 54133 and its SIC code is 8711.