KSU Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative

What KSU Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative does

The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) is a community-based urban design practice and academic learning lab housed within Kent State University's College of Architecture and Environmental Design. Founded in 1999 (and operating under its current form since the Shrinking Cities Institute launch in 2005), CUDC delivers design assistance, applied research, education, and advocacy to municipal governments, community development organizations, and civic groups across Northeast Ohio and the broader Great Lakes region. Its core services include neighborhood master planning, vacant land reuse strategies, streetscape design, climate resilience planning, and accessibility initiatives such as Barrier Free Cleveland.

CUDC operates through a portfolio of branded programs rather than a single technology product. These include the annual Urban Design Charrette (a weekend student-community design workshop), Pop Up City (temporary urban interventions launched in 2007), MOOS / Making Our Own Space (youth engagement program launched in 2015), COLD / Center for Outdoor Living Design (cold-weather urban design initiative launched in 2013), the Shrinking Cities Institute (population-decline research), and Resilient Cleveland (climate resilience planning). It also publishes the Urban Infill journal series (nine volumes) and various charrette and project reports, distributed through Amazon and direct sales. International collaboration occurs through the INDEX Studio program with partner universities in Havana, Beirut, Medellin, and Curitiba, Brazil.

The organization is staffed by a core team of eight (Director, Office Manager, Senior Urban Designer, Urban Designer, and MOOS Coordinator) supplemented by Kent State graduate students. Revenue is generated through three streams: university/institutional funding, fee-based design and consulting services to municipalities and nonprofits, and one-time publication sales. CUDC relies on financial partnerships with regional foundations including the Cleveland Foundation, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture, Saint Luke's Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation, alongside national funders such as the National Endowment for the Arts and Ohio Arts Council.

Name

KSU Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative

Legal name

Kent State University - Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative

Website

https://cudc.kent.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CUDC is a community-based urban design practice and learning lab within Kent State University serving Northeast Ohio municipalities, community organizations, and students through planning, applied research, charrettes, and branded programs like MOOS, Pop Up City, and Resilient Cleveland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Academic/Institutional Funding: Operates as part of Kent State University's College of Architecture and Environmental Design, funded through university support and grants.
2. Design Services and Consulting: Provides urban design services to municipalities, community organizations, and government entities across Northeast Ohio.
3. Publications Sales: Sells publications including the Urban Infill journal series, charrette reports, and project publications through Amazon and direct sales.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CUDC is an innovative community-based urban design practice and learning lab providing design assistance, applied research, education, and advocacy services to municipalities, community organizations, and civic groups in Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and the Great Lakes region. Core offerings are delivered through design charrettes, community workshops, neighborhood planning, climate resilience studies, and academic programs that engage Kent State University graduate students. Additional products include publications (Urban Infill Journal, charrette reports, project reports) and youth/community engagement programs such as MOOS and Barrier Free Cleveland.

Product overview

The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative operates as an innovative community-based Urban Design Practice and Learning Lab housed within Kent State University's College of Architecture and Environmental Design. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and publications rather than a traditional technology product. Core offerings include the Urban Design Practice combining design assistance, applied research, education, and advocacy services. Key programs include the annual Urban Design Charrette for student-community collaboration, the Pop Up City temporary interventions research program, the Shrinking Cities Institute addressing population decline, Resilient Cleveland climate initiatives, and MOOS (Making Our Own Space) youth empowerment program. The COLD (Center for Outdoor Living Design) focuses on winter city design. Publications include the Urban Infill Journal series covering topics from historic preservation to climate adaptation, plus charrette reports and project-specific publications. The organization also maintains specialized initiatives like Barrier Free Cleveland and the INDEX Studio international exchange program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• COLD: Center for Outdoor Living Design: Initiative dedicated to improving livability in cold weather cities by inspiring artists, architects, and urban designers to creatively engage the built environment year-round
• MOOS: Making Our Own Space
• Pop Up City
• Shrinking Cities Institute
• Resilient Cleveland
• Urban Infill Journal
• INDEX Studio
• Urban Design Charrette

Products and services

• Urban Design Practice and Learning Lab Core service combining design assistance, applied research, education, and advocacy to impact urban design decisions and land use policy in Cleveland, Northeast Ohio, and beyond. Creates sustainable, vibrant, and inclusive urban futures through community-based design processes.
• Urban Design Charrette

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple neighborhoods improved through design charrettes and planning processes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Kent State University College of Architecture and Environmental DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCUDC is housed within Kent State University's College of Architecture and Environmental Design. CUDC staff support academic programs including coordinating the International Design Exchange (INDEX) Studio, leading the Midwest Urban Design Charrette, and serving as capstone advisers.
• Cleveland Neighborhood ProgresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in neighborhood revitalization and urban design initiatives across Cleveland.
• City of Cleveland Mayor's Office of SustainabilitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Cleveland Climate Resilience and Urban Opportunity Initiative (CRUOI), part of the Resilient Cleveland program.
• Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on stormwater management and climate resilience initiatives related to Lake Erie and combined sewer overflow reduction.
• Greater Cleveland PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Director previously served as Managing Director of Major Projects; organization focuses on strategic development processes across Greater Cleveland.
• Pontifícia Universidade Católica Do Paraná (Curitiba, Brazil)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner for INDEX Studio program exchanges, working with students on design projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress: Cleveland-based community development intermediary and CUDC's named partner. Operates in the same geography and client set on neighborhood revitalization, making it a regional co-builder rather than a competitor — relevant for understanding Cleveland's CD ecosystem.
• Project for Public Spaces: National nonprofit focused on placemaking and public-space planning. Comparable to CUDC across community-based public realm work, Pop Up City programming, and a grant/foundation-supported consulting model serving municipalities.
• Center for Urban Pedagogy: NYC nonprofit that pairs designers, educators, and communities to produce accessible civic design and educational tools. Comparable to CUDC's community-engagement design methodology, MOOS youth-program spirit, and use of design as civic pedagogy.
• Pratt Center for Community Development: Pratt Institute's applied research and technical assistance center for community-based planning in NYC. Compares directly to CUDC's academic-practice hybrid, neighborhood revitalization focus, and reliance on foundation and public-sector funding.
• Detroit Collaborative Design Center: University of Detroit Mercy's community-based urban design center. Closest peer to CUDC: a university-affiliated practice that pairs graduate students with neighborhood stakeholders on vacant-land reuse, master planning, and community-engaged design in a shrinking Great Lakes city.
• Auburn University Rural Studio: Auburn's design-build academic program serving rural Alabama communities. Comparable to CUDC as a university-embedded design practice that turns student labor into community outcomes and produces nationally recognized project-based work.

Broad incumbents

• Sasaki: International planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm. Compares as a broad incumbent offering overlapping master planning, climate resilience, and community-engagement services at a much larger scale than CUDC.
• Stantec Urban Places: Stantec's urban design and planning practice competes for municipal planning contracts in the same Great Lakes market. CUDC alumnus Ben Herring previously worked at Stantec Urban Places, illustrating the labor-flow connection between the two.
• HDR: Global architecture and planning firm with an urban design practice serving municipalities on master planning, climate adaptation, and infrastructure-adjacent community work — directly competes for the same municipal RFPs CUDC targets.

Emerging players

• MIT Civic Data Design Lab: MIT School of Architecture and Planning research lab using data-driven design for urban challenges. Compares as a university-embedded urban design research group producing applied, publishable work for civic clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cudc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries6 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 KSU Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative