UrbanSEED

What UrbanSEED does

UrbanSEED is a multi-disciplinary urban planning and design consultancy founded in late 2016 by architect and urban planner Adriana Navarro-Sertich, based between Washington, D.C. and Bogotá, Colombia. The firm operates as a "collaborative" delivering professional services through its proprietary "Urban Stitching" methodology, which integrates architecture, urban design, urban planning, policy and guideline development, and tactical urbanism with nature-based solutions, participatory processes, and multi-hazard climate risk analysis. Service offerings span design and vision development, informal settlement upgrading, participatory planning, housing development and PPP advisory, climate resilience and infrastructure, post-disaster reconstruction bridging to long-term development, and vernacular materials research, with design-build studios coordinated through the affiliated BUILDING LOCAL non-profit.

The company serves four primary customer segments: governments and municipalities (including the Municipality of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and the Secretaria de Planeación Distrital de Bogotá), international organizations (notably the World Bank under the Bolivian Urban Resilience Program), communities and local organizations in informal settlements, and private-sector entities seeking climate-smart affordable housing. Revenue is generated through fee-based technical advisory and design/planning engagements delivered either as prime consultant leading multidisciplinary teams, as a specialized partner contributing expertise to larger programs, or as a capacity-builder providing training and technical assistance. Projects have been documented across the United States, Colombia, Bolivia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with stated reach across Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

The firm operates without disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional capital structure, and maintains a network of advisory relationships with OPX Global, Womble Bond Dickinson, Boston Properties, and EHT Traceries for business, legal, and real estate advisory. Distribution is direct, relying on a project portfolio website, international organization partnerships, conference participation, and the BUILDING LOCAL workshop platform rather than traditional demand-generation marketing.

Name

UrbanSEED

Legal name

UrbanSEED

Website

https://urbanseedcollaborative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

UrbanSEED is a multi-disciplinary urban planning and design consultancy founded in 2016, based between Washington, D.C. and Bogotá. It delivers technical advisory and design services to governments, municipalities, international organizations, and communities across Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning and Design Consulting

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning) (BPAIANAD), Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE), Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), Urban Flood Resilience & Adaptation Planning (Climate, Nature-Based Solutions) (EUANAEAJ), Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

Keywords

• Urban planning consulting
• Climate resilience advisory
• Architecture design services
• Informal settlement upgrading
• Participatory urban development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Advisory Services: Providing technical advisory services to clients for urban development, climate resilience, and community planning projects. Works with international organizations, governments, and municipalities.
2. Design + Planning Services: Design and planning components of projects including architecture, urban design, urban planning, and policy guidelines. Services span across multiple phases from strategy through implementation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

UrbanSEED is a multi-disciplinary urban planning and design consultancy that provides technical advisory services and design/planning components for projects in climate resilience, informal settlement upgrading, participatory community development, and disaster reconstruction. Services span architecture, urban design, urban planning, policy and guidelines, and tactics and co-creation, delivered to governments, municipalities, international organizations, and communities primarily across Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Product overview

UrbanSEED (Urban, Social, Environmental and Economic Development) is a multi-disciplinary urban planning and design consultancy founded in late 2016, offering professional services rather than a software product. The company's core offerings are organized around their 'Urban Stitching' methodology—a systems-based approach to resilient urban development. Service portfolios include Architecture, Urban Design, Urban Planning, Policy & Guidelines, and Tactics & Co-creation. Key service areas span Design/Urban Planning/Vision Development, Urban Rehabilitation/Informal Settlement Upgrading, Participatory Planning/Community Development, Housing Development & Policy, Climate Resilience & Infrastructure, and Bridging Reconstruction & Long-term Development. They specialize in Climate Change Adaptation with Nature Based Solutions, Sustainability & Local Economic Development, Placemaking & Tactical Urbanism, and Sustainable Materials & Vernacular Construction. The company operates through technical advisory services and design/planning components, working as prime consultants or specialized partners on projects. Design-build studios are coordinated through their affiliated non-profit Building Local.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technical Advisory Services

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Studio Galli IngegneriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on urban resilience and community planning project in Democratic Republic of Congo, working together on integrated planning approaches and neighborhood improvement strategies with focus on resilience and sustainability.
• BUILDING LOCALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization co-founded by urbanSEED founders which organizes international design-build workshops exploring aesthetic, assembly and tectonic qualities of vernacular materials and construction techniques such as earth, stone, bamboo and wood.
• FAVELissuesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterdisciplinary platform co-founded by Founder Adriana Navarro-Sertich, discussing urban informality and urban development.
• Steve Polo (OPX Global)minorOthersBusiness advisor providing design consultancy advisory services to urbanSEED.
• Pam Rothenburg (Womble Bond Dickinson)minorOthersBusiness advisor providing real estate law advisory services to urbanSEED.
• Raymond Ritchey (Boston Properties)minorOthersBusiness advisor providing real estate development advisory services to urbanSEED.
• Emily Eig (EHT Traceries)minorOthersBusiness advisor providing historic preservation advisory services to urbanSEED.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• 100 Resilient Cities (now part of Bloomberg Philanthropies): Initiative that funded Chief Resilience Officers in cities worldwide, often channeling follow-on technical-assistance work to consultancies with participatory climate-adaptation expertise comparable to UrbanSEED.
• UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urban development that both commissions and shapes technical-assistance programming in cities — a primary client ecosystem for UrbanSEED and source of competitive procurement processes.

Emerging players

• ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability: Global network of cities working on sustainability and resilience, frequently partnering with consultancies like UrbanSEED on technical-assistance delivery for member municipalities in Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
• World Resources Institute (Ross Center for Sustainable Cities): Research and program-implementation organization working on equitable, climate-resilient urban development in emerging-market cities. Comparable mission and donor ecosystem, sometimes overlapping as partner or competitor on participatory urban programs.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with dedicated urban planning, landscape architecture, and climate-resilience practices that compete for the same World Bank and multilateral technical-assistance engagements as UrbanSEED.
• Arup: Global engineering and design consultancy with major practices in resilient cities, nature-based solutions, climate adaptation, and informal settlement upgrading. Comparable on urban resilience and participatory planning but at vastly larger scale.
• WSP Global: Professional services consultancy with urban planning, climate adaptation, and community-development practices that compete for similar municipal and multilateral assignments.
• Mott MacDonald: International development consultancy with strong urban development, climate adaptation, and disaster-risk practices across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia — overlapping with UrbanSEED's geographies and donor clients.

Direct peers

• Miyamoto International: Global engineering and disaster-recovery firm specializing in structural resilience, post-earthquake reconstruction, and urban risk reduction in low- and middle-income countries. Directly comparable to UrbanSEED on disaster risk management and the founder previously served as Principal here.
• Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI): Participatory design and community development nonprofit working on informal settlement upgrading and climate resilience in East Africa and Latin America. Comparable to UrbanSEED's participatory planning and informal-settlement-upgrading practice at similar scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbanseed-collaborative

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 UrbanSEED