Urban Systems Lab

What Urban Systems Lab does

Urban Systems Lab (USL) is an academic research laboratory founded in 2015 and affiliated with New York University's Environmental Studies Department and The New School. It conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of ecology, data science, and social science to advance urban climate resilience, with particular emphasis on environmental justice and equitable adaptation in under-resourced communities. The lab has produced 28 research initiatives, 150+ articles and publications, 10 tools and products, and 89 partnerships with cities, NGOs, and international organizations, and its work has contributed to the IPCC AR6 report.

The lab's technical portfolio centers on geospatial climate risk modeling, hydrodynamic flood simulation, and AI/ML applications for climate hazard assessment. The flagship product is ClimateIQ, an AI-powered platform that combines remote sensing with machine learning to produce hyperlocal flood and extreme heat intelligence for under-resourced cities, with an API-first architecture and LLM-assisted natural-language querying. Other notable products include the NYC Flood Vulnerability Index (co-developed with NYC agencies), the Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment, the Green Infrastructure Toolkit, and the NATURA Global Roadmap for Urban Nature-based Solutions, an NSF-funded synthesis across seven world regions. Core research frameworks include the social-ecological-technological systems (SETS) approach.

USL operates as a research institution rather than a commercial entity: outputs are distributed freely through open access channels, and the lab does not maintain a commercial pricing model. Revenue flows through research grants (NSF, Kresge Foundation CREWS, European Research Council via NovelEco, NYU Faculty Research Committee), institutional support from NYU and The New School, and partnership-based co-production with municipalities (NYC, Yonkers, Phoenix, San Juan, Milwaukee) and community-based NGOs (Groundwork affiliates, Milwaukee Water Commons, RISE, CALL). The customer mix spans municipal governments, environmental justice NGOs, academic researchers, and under-resourced communities served through pro-bono technical assistance and tool development.

Name

Urban Systems Lab

Legal name

Urban Systems Lab

Website

https://urbansystemslab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Urban Systems Lab is an NYU/The New School-affiliated academic research lab that develops AI-powered climate risk tools, flood vulnerability indices, and nature-based solutions research for cities and under-resourced communities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Resilience Research & Consulting

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (92512)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Adaptation & Resilience Planning Platforms (CAPEX Prioritization, Cost–Benefit, NBS) (EUABALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ), Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK), Environmental Data Management Platforms (EHS/EMS, LIMS, ELN, Compliance Data Hubs) (EUAHAKAA)

Keywords

• Climate risk modeling
• Urban resilience research
• Flood vulnerability assessment
• Nature-based solutions
• Environmental justice consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Grants & Foundation Funding: Primary funding from foundations (Kresge Foundation CREWS Program, National Science Foundation via NATURA), government grants (NYU Faculty Research Committee $50,000 for CUREX), and institutional support from The New School.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Urban Systems Lab is an academic research laboratory that develops AI-powered climate risk assessment tools (ClimateIQ) and provides technical assistance, climate modeling, and co-produced research to cities, NGOs, and under-resourced communities. It produces vulnerability indices, geospatial planning tools, and global knowledge syntheses supporting equitable urban climate adaptation.

Product overview

Urban Systems Lab operates as a research-driven organization offering a portfolio of climate resilience products, tools, and knowledge resources. Its flagship product is ClimateIQ, an AI-powered climate risk assessment platform that combines remote sensing with machine learning to provide hyperlocal flood and extreme heat intelligence for under-resourced cities. Complementing ClimateIQ are spatial decision-support tools including the NYC Flood Vulnerability Index and the Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment, which integrate flood modeling with social vulnerability data. The NATURA Global Roadmap provides a comprehensive knowledge synthesis on urban nature-based solutions across seven world regions. Additional resources include Resilience Science Must-Knows and AI for a Planet Under Pressure, which translate research into accessible knowledge products. The portfolio is unified by a focus on advancing equitable urban resilience through science, data, and community co-production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ClimateIQ: AI-powered climate risk assessment platform designed to serve under-resourced cities with hyperlocal climate intelligence for flooding and extreme heat.
• NATURA

Products and services

• ClimateIQ AI-powered climate risk assessment platform combining remote sensing with machine learning to provide hyperlocal flood and extreme heat risk intelligence for city planners, organizations, and under-resourced communities. Includes LLM integration for natural language querying of climate data.
• NYC Flood Vulnerability Index (FVI) NYC's first Flood Vulnerability Index mapping flood risk combined with social vulnerability indicators to support equitable climate adaptation and planning decisions across New York City neighborhoods.
• NATURA Global Roadmap for Urban Nature-based Solutions Comprehensive knowledge synthesis covering urban nature-based solutions across seven world regions (North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Oceania), developed under the NSF-funded NATURA research network.
• Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment (MFHVA) Co-produced tool combining hydrodynamic flood simulation with zip code-level visualizations to identify communities where flooding disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations, supporting equitable stormwater management advocacy in Milwaukee.
• Climate Ready Uptown Plan Community-centered climate resilience plan developed through technical assistance and modeling to advance equitable climate adaptation in the Uptown area, serving as a model for environmental justice interventions.
• Green Infrastructure Toolkit Geospatial risk modeling and environmental planning tools for evaluating green infrastructure strategies including bioswales, rain gardens, and porous pavement based on ecosystem services, used in Southwest Yonkers Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study.
• Critical Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessment Coupled energy-water-transportation synthetic infrastructure models for assessing cascading infrastructure failures during extreme flooding events, supporting urban resilience planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 research initiatives completed
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Groundwork Hudson ValleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing environmental justice nonprofit partnership for green infrastructure and climate resilience work in Yonkers and Hudson Valley region. Collaborated on Southwest Yonkers Green Infrastructure Feasibility Study and Climate Smart Neighborhoods initiative.
• Groundwork MilwaukeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Environmental Justice of Urban Flood Risk project, co-producing the Milwaukee Flood-Health Vulnerability Assessment tool for equitable stormwater management.
• NATURA (Nature-based solutions for Urban Resilience in the Anthropocene)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSF-funded research network co-led by USL Director Timon McPhearson, advancing global knowledge on urban nature-based solutions. Developing Global Roadmap for Urban NbS with teams across 7 world regions.
• North Brooklyn Parks AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Bushwick Inlet Park urban wilding workshops, co-designing waterfront planning with communities along the North Brooklyn waterfront.
• Groundwork USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network partnership supporting environmental justice through green infrastructure across multiple Groundwork affiliates including Hudson Valley, Milwaukee, and others.
• Milwaukee Water CommonsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental justice organization co-producing flood-health vulnerability research and community engagement for Milwaukee climate adaptation.
• Data You Can UsesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerData partnership supporting equitable stormwater management research in Milwaukee through data analysis and visualization.
• Healthy Community ServicessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity health organization partner in New Orleans for intersecting challenges of flood risk, infrastructure planning, and social vulnerability.
• Water Wise Gulf SouthsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in New Orleans for water management and climate resilience work in Hollygrove-Dixon neighborhood.
• WaWa and Eco Action (Atlanta)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in Atlanta for environmental justice of urban flood risk and green infrastructure solutions research.
• Hollygrove-Dixon Neighborhood AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization partner in New Orleans for flood risk and infrastructure planning collaboration.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle.org Fellows working on ClimateIQ development; Google engineers contributing to AI climate risk platform. Google.org Fellowship supporting product management of ClimateIQ.
• ClimaSensmajorTechnology or IntegrationClimate technology partner for ClimateIQ initiative, contributing to AI-powered climate risk assessment platform development.
• Beijer InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for ClimateIQ initiative contributing to AI climate risk assessment tool development.
• George Mason UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for ClimateIQ initiative contributing climate modeling expertise and research collaboration.
• Bronx Council for Environmental Quality (BCEQ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvocacy organization that has championed Tibbetts Brook daylighting for decades, partner in urban river restoration research.
• City As Living Laboratory (CALL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts-based community outreach organization engaged in Tibbetts Brook daylighting project, connecting science with community engagement.
• Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity (RISE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed community visioning workshops for post-buyout land restoration in Edgemere, Queens, supporting managed retreat research.
• New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead agency for Tibbetts Brook Daylighting project; NYC DEP purchased CSX property for the daylighting initiative.
• New York City Department of Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead agency for Tibbetts Brook Daylighting project; partnered on urban resilience and green infrastructure planning.
• Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner supporting Pablo Herreros' research on urban flood risk and environmental justice.
• Autonomous University of Barcelona (ICTA-UAB)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institution partner for urban environmental management research collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: Global network of mayors and city agencies focused on climate action, equity, and resilience planning. Comparable because C40 sets standards and convenes cities on urban climate adaptation similar to USL's NATURA network and city engagement model.
• Climate Central: Non-profit research organization producing climate risk analyses, flood visualizations (Picturing Our Future), and sea level rise tools for media, cities, and communities. Highly comparable to USL's nonprofit, science-driven approach to making climate risk data accessible, with similar open-distribution ethos but a broader national media footprint.
• The Nature Conservancy - Cities Program: Major environmental nonprofit with a global cities program advancing nature-based solutions and urban resilience. Comparable because TNC's NbS and green infrastructure work directly parallels USL's NATURA roadmap and green infrastructure feasibility studies.
• Jupiter Intelligence: Commercial climate risk analytics platform providing physical climate risk data to enterprises, governments, and financial institutions. Comparable in product category (ClimateIQ overlaps with Jupiter's risk data platform) but differs in commercial model and emphasis on enterprise vs. equity-focused community use.
• Resilient Cities Network (formerly 100 Resilient Cities): City-led resilience network helping member municipalities develop and implement resilience strategies. Closely comparable function to USL's city partnership and climate planning work, with shared customer base of municipal governments.

Direct peers

• Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN): Peer network of municipal sustainability directors collaborating on equitable, climate-resilient urban practice. Comparable because both serve city sustainability staff with tools, peer learning, and applied research at the municipal scale.
• ICLEI USA: Local governments for sustainability network providing resources, technical assistance, and tools for cities pursuing climate action and equity goals. Operates in an adjacent space to USL's municipal capacity-building and resilience planning work.
• Climate Analytics: Climate science and policy institute producing research on climate risks, impacts, and resilience for governments and international bodies. Comparable as a mission-driven research organization contributing to IPCC and shaping adaptation policy in ways similar to USL.

Emerging players

• First Street Foundation: Non-profit producing high-resolution physical climate risk data (Risk Factor) for properties and communities across the US. Direct functional overlap with ClimateIQ's hyperlocal flood and heat risk intelligence, with similar nonprofit/open distribution model.
• Fourth Economy: Community and economic development consulting firm helping cities, foundations, and nonprofits advance equitable, resilient growth. Comparable in working with municipal clients on inclusive planning, with USL's community co-production engagement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/urbansystemslab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbansystemslab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Urban Systems Lab