What STIPO does

STIPO is a Dutch social enterprise founded in 1996 and headquartered in Amsterdam that delivers urban development consulting, placemaking project work, and professional training focused on sustainable, human-centered cities. The firm positions itself as the linking pin between residents, governments, and market parties, addressing challenges such as area visioning, activating underused public spaces, participatory planning, inclusive neighborhoods, climate-adaptive development, and broedplaatsen (creative incubator) policy. Its service portfolio is anchored by project-based consulting for municipalities and developers, supplemented by structured training programs—most notably the three-day City at Eye Level & Placemaking Training priced at €1,100 for freelancers and €1,400 for organizations per participant—and recurring events such as Placemaking Week Europe.

The underlying "technology" is a codified placemaking methodology developed over 30 years, packaged into open-source tools and frameworks including the Eye Level Game, Place Game, Anchors of Life, Urban Camping, the Suitcase Method, and impact-measurement guides, all distributed under Creative Commons licensing. STIPO monetizes this methodology through professional services (consulting fees, custom workshops, in-company training, and lectures) and to a lesser extent through the sale of books and publications, while using its Substack newsletter, LinkedIn presence, and event platforms as top- and mid-funnel marketing channels. The customer base is segmented across municipalities and governments, real estate developers, urban planning professionals, healthcare and welfare organizations, and city makers/creatives, with primary emphasis on the first three.

Name

STIPO

Legal name

STIPO

Website

https://stipo.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

STIPO is an Amsterdam-based social enterprise founded in 1996 that provides urban development consulting, placemaking advisory, and professional training programs for municipalities, developers, and urban planning professionals across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Development and Placemaking Consulting

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Urban development consulting
• Placemaking services
• Area vision development
• Public space activation
• Sustainable city training

Headquarters

HQ city

Klein Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training Programs: Revenue generated from structured training programs including The City at Eye Level training (€1100 for freelancers, €1400 for organizations) and specialized workshops delivered in-person and online.
2. Consulting and Advisory Services: Project-based consulting for urban development, area visions, participative planning, and placemaking implementation for governments, developers, and community organizations.
3. Publications and Books: Sale of books and publications on urban development and placemaking, with many resources available for free download under Creative Commons license.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

STIPO delivers sustainable urban development and placemaking consulting for municipalities, developers, and community organizations, covering area visions, participative planning, public space activation, and broedplaatsen (incubator space) policy. Complementing its advisory work, STIPO runs fee-based training programs—most notably The City at Eye Level & Placemaking Training (€1,100 freelancers / €1,400 organizations) and Stad op Ooghoogte—and publishes books and tools under Creative Commons to disseminate its placemaking methodologies worldwide.

Product overview

STIPO operates as a social enterprise focused on urban development and placemaking, offering a portfolio of training programs, open-source tools, publications, and consulting services. The core offering consists of placemaking and area development consulting services, supplemented by training programs including 'The City at Eye Level & Placemaking Training' (a three-day in-person course with online prerequisites) and 'Stad op Ooghoogte Training'. STIPO's tools portfolio includes the Place Game, Eye Level Game, and various manuals covering topics like urban camping, climate-adaptive development, and measuring placemaking impact. All tools and publications are shared under Creative Commons License and are freely downloadable. The company also organizes events such as Placemaking Week Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The City at Eye Level: A training and knowledge platform focused on human-scale urban development and placemaking criteria.
• City at Eye Level & Placemaking Training

Products and services

• Placemaking & Area Development Consulting Project-based consulting for sustainable area development, area visions, participative planning, placemaking implementation, broedplaatsen policy, and climate-adaptive urban strategies, delivered to municipalities, real estate developers, and community organizations.
• The City at Eye Level & Placemaking Training (Berlin 2026) A three-day in-person training program on human-scale urban development, placemaking criteria, public space activation, and community co-creation, led by STIPO for urban planning and design professionals.
• Stad op Ooghoogte Training Training program on the Dutch-language "City at Eye Level" approach, teaching participants to analyze places using human-scale principles and integrate physical environment considerations with social quality in urban areas.
• Placemaking Week Europe An annual recurring conference organized by STIPO and partners on placemaking in urban development, bringing together European placemaking practitioners for knowledge exchange and networking.
• Books & Publications on Urban Development and Placemaking Sale of books and publications on urban development and placemaking methodology, with a portion freely downloadable under Creative Commons license.

Quantifiable outcome

• Club Schalkwijk project: developed temporary placemaking approach for shopping center transformation lasting 10+ years, created Placemaking Coalition with formal partners
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Placemaking EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner network for placemaking knowledge exchange and practice in Europe. STIPO shares tools and methodologies through this platform.
• StadmakersfondscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDutch city makers fund supporting urban development initiatives and placemaking projects in the Netherlands.
• The City at Eye LevelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational initiative and brand focused on human-scale urban development, co-founded and led by STIPO founding partners. Offers training and certification programs.
• Creative Bureaucracy FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration for the Berlin City at Eye Level Training 2026, bringing together urban development and public administration professionals.
• Placemaking GermanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGerman network for placemaking practitioners, collaborating on the Berlin 2026 training to connect local and international expertise.
• PlacemakingXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal placemaking network providing international resources and connecting practitioners worldwide.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• KCAP: Dutch architecture and urban planning firm with deep experience in area visions, mixed-use development, and participatory planning for European cities. Directly comparable as a Netherlands-based urban strategy and design consultancy serving similar municipal clients.
• Project for Public Spaces: Global placemaking nonprofit that originated the Place Game used by STIPO; both organizations train practitioners, publish open-source tools, and advise cities on public space activation. Highly comparable mission, methodology, and audience of municipalities and urban planning professionals.
• Gehl: People-focused urban design and consulting firm founded by Jan Gehl; shares STIPO's human-scale, public-life-centered methodology and serves overlapping municipal and developer clients globally. Both monetize advisory, research, and thought leadership around urban anthropology.
• PlacemakingX: Global network connecting placemaking practitioners; STIPO lists it as a core partner and operates within its ecosystem. Both aggregate practitioners, share tools, and convene events around community-led urban development.
• West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture: Leading Dutch urban design and landscape architecture practice delivering large-scale public space, waterfront, and area development projects. Comparable in Dutch-anchored placemaking and public-realm design services for municipalities and developers.

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Global engineering and design consultancy with extensive urban planning, placemaking, and city strategy practices. Overlaps with STIPO on municipal advisory work but at vastly greater scale and scope across multiple built-environment disciplines.
• MVRDV: Dutch architecture and urbanism practice delivering masterplans and mixed-use area development globally. Comparable on Dutch-anchored, human-scale urban design advisory for municipalities and developers, though at much larger project scale.

Emerging players

• Bureau Europa: Dutch platform for architecture, urbanism, and design discourse based in Maastricht. Comparable as a Netherlands-based organization convening practitioners, publishing knowledge, and shaping urban development conversations.
• Placemaking Europe: European network of placemaking practitioners and organizations; STIPO lists it as a core partner. Both convene training, events, and knowledge exchange on placemaking methodology across European cities.

Others

• UN-Habitat: United Nations agency for sustainable urban development; sets global standards on inclusive, sustainable cities that align with STIPO's placemaking and social-cohesion agenda. Comparable as a thought-leadership and capacity-building counterpart rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stipo

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 STIPO