SpeckDempsey
Speck Dempsey is a boutique Brookline, MA-based urban planning, urban design, and transportation policy consultancy serving US municipalities, private developers, and non-profits through project-based professional services in walkability studies, downtown master plans, street redesign, and suburban retrofit.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersBrookline, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SpeckDempsey does
Speck Dempsey is a boutique urban planning, urban design, and transportation policy consultancy headquartered in Brookline, Massachusetts (Greater Boston), founded in its current form in January 2024 when Chris Dempsey joined Jeff Speck's prior firm Speck & Associates as partner. The firm operates as a privately held partnership with approximately ten team members, serving US municipalities (primary segment), private real-estate developers, and non-profits, with documented project work also in Ecuador and Belgium. Its core services span nine practice areas: downtown master plans, transit-oriented developments, new towns and neighborhoods, urban and suburban infill, suburban retrofit, walkability studies, streets and networks, buildings and landscapes, and Walkable City public talks.
The firm's underlying "technology" consists of codified planning methodologies rather than software: the Walkability Study framework (invented 2009, with 12+ completed engagements), the ReLeaf Urban Forestry Rules (eight novel principles for reforestation prioritization), and a street network redesign framework for converting one-way to two-way streets and adding bike infrastructure. Speck Dempsey delivers these services as the lead consultant on multidisciplinary teams, curating partners such as Stantec, Gehl, Utile, Perkins & Will, Nelson\Nygaard, Confluence, Torti Gallas, Arup, and Studio Gang depending on project scope. Demand is generated almost entirely through thought leadership — Jeff Speck's TED talks (6M+ views), authored books including the best-selling 'Walkable City' (translated into seven languages), podcast appearances, and recurring press in the Financial Times, Washington Post, Time, NPR, Bloomberg, and the Boston Globe.
The business model is project-based professional services with multi-year contract cadence. Fees are scoped per engagement (e.g., a $200K Mansfield streetscape redesign vs. $23M Monon Boulevard total budget vs. $30M+ Watertown Square public investment and a $900M Brodie Oaks private infill). The firm has accumulated 100+ clients across its portfolio and has won major industry awards including the 2023 ULI Americas Award for Excellence (Water Street Tampa), multiple CNU Charter Awards (2015, 2019, 2023), the 2024 CNU New England Urbanism Award (Watertown Square), and the 2024 ULI Austin Next Big Idea Award (Brodie Oaks). There are no funding rounds, parent entities, or institutional investors disclosed; the firm is founder/partnership-owned.
SpeckDempsey firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpeckDempsey
- Legal name
- Speck Dempsey
- Website
- https://speckdempsey.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Speck Dempsey is a boutique Brookline, MA-based urban planning, urban design, and transportation policy consultancy serving US municipalities, private developers, and non-profits through project-based professional services in walkability studies, downtown master plans, street redesign, and suburban retrofit.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SpeckDempsey industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Urban Planning and Design Consulting
- NAICS
- Other Specialized Design Services (541490), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting (BPAHAKAG)
Keywords
Where SpeckDempsey is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brookline
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
SpeckDempsey business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Urban Planning and Design Consulting: Professional services for city planning, urban design, and transportation policy projects including downtown master plans, walkability studies, transit-oriented developments, and urban/suburban infill plans.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Professional consulting services for municipalities and developers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
SpeckDempsey product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Speck Dempsey is a city planning, urban design, and transportation policy firm that provides professional consulting services to municipalities, non-profits, and private developers. Its service suite includes downtown master plans, walkability studies, transit-oriented developments, urban and suburban infill plans, suburban retrofits, street and network design, buildings and landscapes design, and public Walkable City Talks. Engagements are delivered as project-based consulting assignments, not as software products.
Product overview
Speck Dempsey is a city planning, urban design, and transportation policy firm offering professional consulting services. The firm provides a comprehensive suite of planning and design services including Downtown Master Plans, Walkability Studies, Transit-Oriented Developments, Urban & Suburban Infill Plans, Suburban Retrofit projects, Streets & Networks design, Buildings and Landscapes design, and Walkable City Talks. These services are offered as professional consulting engagements for municipalities, non-profits, and private developers, not as software products. The firm works with clients across the United States and around the world from its base in Greater Boston.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Downtowns Comprehensive downtown master plans that foster vitality and resilience within communities of every size, delivered as professional consulting engagements for municipalities and developers.
- Transit-Oriented Developments Plans to locate new neighborhoods on rail and integrate bus service into community streets, delivered as consulting engagements for municipalities and developers.
- New Towns & Neighborhoods Building towns and neighborhoods from scratch, establishing new benchmarks in sustainable greenfield development, delivered as consulting engagements for developers.
- Urban & Suburban Infill Plans for developing missing teeth in communities ready for new construction as the essence of smart growth, delivered as consulting engagements.
- Suburban Retrofit Transforming car-centric locations with pedestrian-friendly site plans, delivered as consulting engagements.
- Walkability Studies Comprehensive walkability assessments and plans using the proprietary Walkability Study methodology, delivered as consulting engagements for municipalities.
- Streets & Networks Street design plans that bring struggling downtowns back to life through proper urban street networks, including one-way-to-two-way conversions, lane reductions, and bike infrastructure additions, delivered as consulting engagements.
- Buildings and Landscapes Design of landmark buildings and landscapes that shape walkable public spaces in the vertical dimension, including streetscapes and urban forestry plans, delivered as consulting engagements.
- Walkable City Talks Jeff Speck's locally customized public talks renowned for their wisdom and humor that inspire communities to embrace walkability, delivered as speaking engagements for communities and event organizers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Downtown Oklahoma City saw new recreation and food venues, demographic change with young adults influx, downtown feels 'alive and metropolitan'
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use SpeckDempsey
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SpeckDempsey technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
SpeckDempsey partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and minor.
- DPZ CO-DesigncoreLong-standing partnership with Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co., the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Jeff Speck spent 10 years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ before founding Speck & Associates.
- GehlnotableCollaborated on Monon Boulevard project in Carmel, IN. Gehl provides human-centered design expertise for public spaces.
- Stantec Urban PlacesnotableMultiple collaborations including Water Street Tampa, Watertown Square Area Plan, Vision Zero Safety Action Plan Worcester, Main & Broad Streets Redesign Mansfield. Stantec provides engineering and urban planning expertise.
- UtilenotableCollaborated on Watertown Square Area Plan. Utile brings planning and urban design expertise.
- Perkins & WillnotablePartnered on Grand Park Sports Culture District in Westfield, IN. Perkins & Will provides architecture and design services.
- Nelson\NygaardnotableCollaborated on Brodie Oaks project in Austin, TX. Nelson\Nygaard specializes in transportation planning.
- ConfluencenotablePartnered on ReLeaf Cedar Rapids. Confluence provides landscape architecture and planning services.
- Torti Gallas & PartnersnotableCollaborated on Wyandanch Rising project in Babylon, NY. Torti Gallas specializes in urban design and architecture.
- ArupnotableCollaborated on New Albany Street Network Redesign. Arup provides engineering and technical consulting.
- OJB Landscape ArchitectureminorCollaborated on Wyandanch Rising project for landscape architecture.
- Trees Forever, Inc.notablePartnered on ReLeaf Cedar Rapids reforestation plan following 2020 derecho storm. Regional non-profit focused on tree planting.
- Reed HilderbrandminorCollaborated on Kenmore Squared project in Boston, MA.
- Studio GangminorCollaborated on Kenmore Squared project in Boston, MA.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SpeckDempsey competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SpeckDempsey social profiles
Digital presenceSpeckDempsey financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpeckDempsey leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
SpeckDempsey funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpeckDempsey 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 SpeckDempsey
What does SpeckDempsey do?
Speck Dempsey is a city planning, urban design, and transportation policy firm that provides professional consulting services to municipalities, non-profits, and private developers. Its service suite includes downtown master plans, walkability studies, transit-oriented developments, urban and suburban infill plans, suburban retrofits, street and network design, buildings and landscapes design, and public Walkable City Talks. Engagements are delivered as project-based consulting assignments, not as software products.
Is SpeckDempsey a public or private company?
SpeckDempsey is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SpeckDempsey founded?
SpeckDempsey was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SpeckDempsey based?
SpeckDempsey is headquartered in Brookline, United States, in the North America region.
How does SpeckDempsey make money?
One revenue line is on record: urban Planning and Design Consulting.
Does SpeckDempsey have an API?
No public API is recorded for SpeckDempsey.
What industry is SpeckDempsey in?
SpeckDempsey's product category is Urban Planning and Design Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAG, Sustainable/Green Building & LEED Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541490.