What Future Cities does

Future Cities is a multi-disciplined urban development and design firm founded in 2000 and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The firm specializes in entertainment-anchored district development, integrating design, planning, and development under a single practice. Its active project portfolio includes GreenCity, an eco-district in Henrico County, VA registered with the International Living Future Institute and targeting the largest commercial Living Building Challenge certification; Scott Road Bridge, a mass-timber pedestrian crossing of Interstate 95 developed in partnership with Henrico County and the U.S. Department of Transportation and the first glue-laminate bridge across an interstate in the continental United States; Carver Station, a micro mixed-use project reusing a historic Dominion Energy electric substation with shipping-container construction; and North of Broad, a $1.4B downtown redevelopment in Richmond, VA. The firm's signature methodology is the "Issues and Opportunities Workshop," a design-led community engagement process used to surface project potential early and align municipal and stakeholder partners.

Name

Future Cities

Legal name

Future Cities LLC

Website

https://futurecities.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Future Cities is a Richmond, Virginia-based private real estate development and design firm that designs and develops sports, retail, entertainment, and mixed-use urban projects for municipal governments, universities, sports team owners, and climate-committed businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Development Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE), Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD)

Keywords

• Real estate development
• Urban design
• Mixed-use development
• Entertainment districts
• Sustainable development

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

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, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Development: Future Cities generates revenue through the development of urban districts, mixed-use properties, and entertainment-anchored developments. Revenue is realized through property sales, leasing of developed spaces, and partnership arrangements with other developers and investors.
2. Property Programming and Management: Revenue from programming and managing unique venue spaces such as community lounges, bars, restaurants, co-work spaces, food halls, and micro-retail spaces within developed properties.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Future Cities is a multi-disciplined urban development and design firm that designs and develops entertainment-anchored districts, mixed-use properties, eco-districts, and pedestrian infrastructure. The firm operates a design-led methodology called the 'Issues and Opportunities Workshop' to vet project concepts and uses visual presentation techniques to align diverse stakeholders around shared visions. Current named developments include the GreenCity eco-district, Scott Road mass-timber pedestrian bridge, and Carver Station micro mixed-use development.

Product overview

Future Cities is a multi-disciplined urban development and design firm specializing in entertainment-anchored district development. The company offers a unified suite of services spanning project conceptualization (Issues and Opportunities Workshop), urban design, and development execution. Their project portfolio includes GreenCity (eco-district), Scott Road Bridge (mass-timber pedestrian infrastructure), and Carver Station (micro mixed-use with shipping containers), all emphasizing sustainable, mixed-use urban environments that create compounding value through public spaces, entertainment venues, and adjacent district synergies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GreenCity An eco-district development project in Henrico County, VA, designed to support companies, retailers, operators, and residents committed to climate action. Features include preserved wetlands and streambeds as organizing elements and public open spaces, with the Best Products building registered for the largest commercial Living Building Challenge project to date.
• Scott Road Pedestrian Bridge

Quantifiable outcome

• First glue-laminate bridge construction across an Interstate Highway in Continental United States
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Henrico County, VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Henrico County for the Scott Road Pedestrian Bridge development - a mass-timber replacement bridge crossing Interstate 95. The bridge will connect existing communities with bike and pedestrian trails of GreenCity and expand access to the regional Fall Line Trail.
• U.S. Department of TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partnership for the development of the Scott Road Bridge, working in conjunction with Henrico County. The project will be the first glue-laminate bridge construction across an Interstate Highway in the Continental United States.
• Various Architects and DevelopersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture Cities collaborates with other architects and developers in partnerships to create additional real estate value and broader perspectives and more evolved solutions for urban development projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Gensler: Gensler is a global architecture and design firm with sports, hospitality, and urban mixed-use practices. Like Populous, Gensler competes more on the design services side, providing a useful demand-side comparable for design-led development versus traditional developer-led models.
• Populous (formerly HOK Sport): Populous is a leading global sports and entertainment architecture firm whose principals overlap with founder Michael Hallmark's earlier practice at NBBJ and Ellerbe Becket. It is adjacent rather than competitive because Populous designs venues while Future Cities develops the surrounding districts.

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln Property Company: Lincoln Property is a national real estate firm with deep mixed-use, multifamily, and commercial development capabilities. Its scale and urban development pipeline make it a broad comparable for Future Cities' commercial mixed-use projects.
• The Howard Hughes Corporation: Howard Hughes is a master-planned community developer operating large-scale mixed-use districts such as The Woodlands, Downtown Columbia, and Summerlin. Its focus on building and operating walkable, mixed-use urban districts makes it a comparable but much larger incumbent.
• Brandywine Realty Trust: Brandywine is a Philadelphia-area REIT specializing in urban and town-center mixed-use developments. Its mixed-use and transit-oriented district expertise makes it a relevant, though broader, peer in the urban development space.
• Brookfield Properties: Brookfield Properties (incorporating the former Forest City Realty Trust) develops and operates large-scale mixed-use, office, and retail districts. Its portfolio of urban mixed-use campuses makes it a broad incumbent for Future Cities' mixed-use and entertainment-anchored work.
• Related Companies: Related Companies is one of the largest U.S. developers of mixed-use, affordable, and sustainable urban real estate, including Hudson Yards. Its scale and breadth of large-format mixed-use projects make it a broad comparable for Future Cities' urban district work.

Direct peers

• The Cordish Companies: The Cordish Companies is a privately-held real estate developer renowned for entertainment-anchored mixed-use districts such as the Live! Casino complexes and Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Its focus on creating destination districts anchored by sports/entertainment venues and integrating programming, retail, and F&B directly parallels Future Cities' entertainment-anchored district model.
• Steiner + Associates: Steiner + Associates is an urban mixed-use developer best known for destinations like Easton Town Center, blending retail, dining, office, and entertainment into walkable districts. The retail-and-entertainment-anchored town center model closely matches Future Cities' mixed-use district approach.
• The Beck Group: The Beck Group is a design-build firm combining architecture and real estate development for mixed-use urban projects. Its integrated design-then-build process mirrors Future Cities' Imagine-Design-Develop approach in entertainment and mixed-use contexts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/michael-hallmark

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Future Cities