Crandall Arambula

What Crandall Arambula does

Crandall Arambula is a Portland, Oregon-based professional services firm specializing in urban design, planning, and architecture, founded in 1998 by George Crandall and Don Arambula. Operating as a private professional corporation (Crandall Arambula, PC), the firm delivers city-revitalization and transit-oriented development (TOD) consulting to public-sector clients (municipal and county governments, transit authorities, redevelopment agencies), non-profit redevelopment organizations, and private developers across the United States and Canada. The practice reports a headcount of 1–10 employees, is independently owned (no private equity or venture backing), and operates as prime consultant on projects spanning downtown master plans, TOD station area plans, complete streets frameworks, objective development and design standards, transit corridor planning (LRT/BRT/streetcar), and implementation strategies.

The firm's underlying 'technology' consists of proprietary planning frameworks — notably the Mobility-Oriented District (MOD) and Bicycle-Oriented District (BOD) models, Station Area Typologies, Business Case Analysis, Game-Changing Catalyst Criteria, Objective Development and Design Standards (ODDS), and a three-step 'Start, Design, Implement' public-engagement process — developed and refined across more than 100 station area plans and dozens of downtown master plans over 26+ years. These methodologies are codified in-house and validated through nationally recognized outcomes including over $1.3 billion in private development catalyzed by the Lincoln, Nebraska Downtown Master Plan, $600 million in Racine, Wisconsin, and 900 new residential units in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The business model is fee-for-service professional consulting, with revenue generated per project via government RFP processes and direct commission on multi-phase engagements; pricing is negotiated per project and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and driven by direct outreach to public planning agencies, transit authorities, and redevelopment agencies, supplemented by thought-leadership channels including George Crandall's book 'Fixing Your City', the quarterly Revitalizing Cities Series newsletter (reaching 4,000+ planning professionals and elected officials), and a training academy (Crandall Arambula Academy). Sub-consultants are coordinated by the firm on larger projects, allowing a small principal team to deliver enterprise-scale public-sector work.

Name

Crandall Arambula

Legal name

Crandall Arambula, PC

Website

https://ca-city.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Crandall Arambula is a Portland-based urban design, planning, and architecture firm founded in 1998 that delivers city-revitalization and transit-oriented development consulting to public agencies, transit authorities, redevelopment organizations, and private developers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning and Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Infrastructure Planning, Capital Programs & Project Delivery Offices (PMOs) (BPAIALAJ)

Keywords

• Urban planning services
• Transit-oriented development
• Complete streets design
• Downtown revitalization
• Station area planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Planning and Urban Design Services: The firm generates revenue through fee-for-service professional consulting contracts for urban planning, urban design, architecture, and transit-oriented development planning services. Clients include public agencies (city and county governments, transit authorities, redevelopment agencies), non-profit organizations, and private development sectors. Revenue is project-based, typically structured as prime consultant engagements with sub-consultant coordination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crandall Arambula is an urban design, planning, and architecture firm that provides professional consulting services for the revitalization of American cities. The firm delivers downtown master plans, transit-oriented development (TOD) station area plans, complete streets frameworks, transit systems planning, policy and regulation development, and implementation strategies for public, non-profit, and private development sector clients across North America. Services are delivered as prime consultant engagements through government RFPs and direct commissions.

Product overview

Crandall Arambula is an award-winning urban design, planning, and architecture firm established in 1998 in Portland, Oregon. The firm operates as a single unified practice rather than a platform-with-modules architecture, offering specialized consulting services across downtown revitalization, transit-oriented development, complete streets, regional planning, policy development, and implementation strategies. The core service portfolio includes: Downtown Planning for large and small cities with master plans and retail strategies; Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning with station area plans and BRTOD corridor planning; Complete Streets Planning emphasizing pedestrian and cyclist safety; Transit Systems Planning for LRT, BRT, and streetcar; Policy & Regulations including objective development standards and design guidelines; and Implementation Strategy with catalyst project identification and financing plans. Additional offerings include Mobility-Oriented Districts (MOD), an innovative planning model expanding traditional TOD with protected bikeways; the Crandall Arambula Academy for professional education; and the book 'Fixing Your City' by George Crandall.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Complete Streets Planning Design of streets that accommodate pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and vehicles equally, emphasizing pedestrian and cyclist safety with protected bikeways and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure for municipalities and transit agencies.
• Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Station area planning and transit-oriented development services that integrate land use with transit systems to create walkable, mixed-use communities within walking distance of transit stations for transit authorities and municipalities.
• Downtown Planning Strategic planning for downtown revitalization including master plans, retail strategies, land use frameworks, and implementation strategies for both large and small downtowns, serving city governments and redevelopment agencies.
• Policy and Regulations Services Development of regional planning frameworks, objective development and design standards (ODDS), TOD regulations, and urban design guidelines for municipalities seeking regulatory reform.
• Transit Systems Planning Planning for light rail transit (LRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), and streetcar systems, including corridor design, alignment studies, and station location optimization for transit authorities and regional planning agencies.
• Implementation Strategy Action plans, catalyst project identification, business case analysis, and financing strategies designed to ensure plans result in built projects within five years of adoption, serving public agencies and redevelopment organizations.
• Mobility-Oriented Districts (MOD) An expanded TOD model that incorporates protected bikeways to increase the service area from a quarter-mile to a one-mile radius around transit stations, potentially increasing transit ridership by up to 30% and cycling mode share to 40%.
• Crandall Arambula Academy Educational training courses and workshops on transit system development, TOD planning, mobility-oriented districts, increasing bike ridership, and urban design for community members, elected officials, city staff, and organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.3 billion in private sector development catalyzed by the Lincoln, NE Downtown Master Plan
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Harper Houf Peterson RighellisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Vancouver, Washington Main Street Corridor Improvement Strategy. Harper Houf Peterson Righellis served as the primary architecture/planning partner on this downtown retail and streetscape improvement project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sasaki Associates: Sasaki is a Boston-based planning, urban design, and architecture firm with a similar integrated practice model to Crandall Arambula, focused on campus planning, urban revitalization, TOD, and landscape-scale design for public and private clients. Directly comparable as a peer-sized planning/design firm with national reach.
• Torti Gallas + Partners: Torti Gallas is a planning and urban design firm specializing in TOD, downtown revitalization, and mixed-use district planning, with an integrated architecture practice. Closely comparable to Crandall Arambula as a planning/design specialist with TOD and downtown depth.
• OLIN: OLIN is a landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio working on TOD, public realm, and downtown frameworks for public and private clients. Comparable as a boutique planning/design firm focused on integrated urban revitalization.
• Perkins&Will: Perkins&Will is a large global architecture firm with a strong urban design and planning practice that engages on TOD, downtown, and institutional master plans. Directly comparable to Crandall Arambula on architecture-anchored planning work for public sector clients.
• Kimley-Horn: Kimley-Horn has a substantial planning and landscape architecture practice doing TOD, complete streets, and downtown mobility planning for cities and transit agencies. Comparable as an engineering-anchored planning firm competing for similar public sector RFPs.

Emerging players

• HR&A Advisors: HR&A is a real estate and economic development advisory that supports cities, transit agencies, and developers on TOD and downtown revitalization strategy, often partnering with or adjacent to planning firms like Crandall Arambula.

Broad incumbents

• Mott MacDonald: Mott MacDonald operates a global transit-oriented development and urban planning advisory practice, competing for multi-disciplinary transit corridor planning contracts similar to those led by Crandall Arambula.
• WSP: WSP is one of the largest global engineering and planning consultancies with deep TOD, transit corridor, and complete streets practices (notably post-Louis Berger and Wood E&I acquisitions). Often competes with Crandall Arambula as prime on major transit corridor station area plans.
• AECOM: AECOM's Urbanism + Planning practice covers TOD, downtown planning, complete streets, and large-scale capital program advisory. Competes on the largest multi-disciplinary transit and infrastructure engagements as a broad incumbent rather than a niche specialist.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global AEC firm with a large Urban Places and Planning practice covering TOD, complete streets, downtown revitalization, and policy work. Competes with Crandall Arambula on larger regional transit and infrastructure RFPs but as part of a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CA_Portland

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 Crandall Arambula