We love to learn and to teach, as a way of incorporating the latest theories and research into our city-building and best practice world-wide. We have a long tradition of offering stimulating paid internships for students in architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and related programs. Strategists regularly lecture at industry events across the world, and teach planning, design and engagement courses at many universities.
We actively foster a culture of collaboration. Connectivity is a theme in everything we do: linking many disciplines, diverse communities, fragmented places and strategic initiatives, all to create better urban environments. We collaborate with relevant specialists for each assignment—economists, real estate advisors, civil engineers, scientists, preservationists, lawyers, architects, artists, and people with lived experience. We are curious and reflective, constantly learning from each other, our collaborators and the communities where we work.
Our Academy model allows staff at all levels to teach each other, experiment with new technology and approaches, and collaborate in new ways. The positive impacts – not only for our professional practice, but our social atmosphere – are invaluable. Topics are crowdsourced by staff. Past sessions have included mock debates, analysis of new design theory, virtual reality experimentation, site tours, charrettes, software training and numerous guest speakers.
We are active in our industry: many of us are members of juries, boards, and design review panels.
We take culture very seriously at Urban Strategies, and invest a lot of time in cultivating a fun, collegial workplace. Making opportunities to celebrate, learn and have fun together are essential to our philosophy as an organization.
