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Top Urban Design Companies in the United States

The United States is home to some of the world’s most influential urban designers, from New York’s legacy of master planning to Portland’s people-first streetscapes. Whether you’re reimagining a downtown corridor, developing a mixed-use campus, or adding public art to boost walkability, partnering with a proven urban design agency can turn vision into reality.

Clutch simplifies your search by collecting in-depth client reviews, project portfolios, and quantitative ratings, so you can quickly shortlist firms by budget, location, or industry expertise. Use the filters on this page to narrow agencies by service focus—such as master planning or landscape architecture—and see how each team has performed on similar U.S. projects before reaching out.

Looking for more options? Explore the Top Urban Design Companies worldwide, or drill down into city-specific lists for Urban Design Agencies in New York City, Urban Design Agencies in Los Angeles, and Urban Design Agencies in Chicago.

Ratings Updated: February 23, 2026
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United States Urban Design FAQs

Budgets vary widely. Preliminary visioning workshops for a single plaza might start at $25,000 – $50,000, while a full mixed-use master plan could range from $150,000 into the millions. Most firms bill hourly between $150 – $300 for principal-level designers and $90 – $150 for junior staff. Fixed-fee phases (research, concept design, construction documents) are common to keep costs predictable.

Urban designers in the U.S. work across a myriad of markets and niches, including:

  • Municipal governments and transit authorities
  • Real-estate developers (commercial, residential, mixed-use)
  • Higher-education campuses and research parks
  • Healthcare districts and life-science hubs
  • Tourism, cultural, and sports venues
  • Tech and innovation corridors (e.g., Silicon Valley, Austin)

U.S. agencies bring deep knowledge of local zoning codes, ADA compliance, and community-engagement standards. They also understand regional funding mechanisms—from federal infrastructure grants to state-level tax incentives—that can make or break a project.

By working with a stateside team, you’ll benefit from real-time collaboration, site visits without international travel, and firsthand experience navigating U.S. environmental review processes like NEPA and SEQRA.

  1. Define your project’s requirements and scope—i.e., streetscape makeover, TOD (transit-oriented development), resiliency planning, etc.
  2. Review past work in comparable climates, densities, or regulatory environments.
  3. Check Clutch reviews for collaboration style, schedule adherence, and stakeholder engagement.
  4. Ask for charrette samples and 3D visualizations to assess communication tools.
  5. Confirm the firm’s familiarity with local permitting and community outreach requirements.

Finding the ideal team can be challenging. Take advantage of Clutch’s directories and resources to match with capable agencies.

  • Generic portfolios with little built work
  • Lack of public-meeting or stakeholder-engagement experience
  • Vague fee structures without deliverable milestones
  • Overreliance on renderings with no technical drawings
  • Minimal knowledge of sustainability standards (LEED-ND, SITES, etc.)

Spot any of these red flags? Take that as a sign to keep searching. The United States is home to many talented and experienced firms, so don’t settle for less.

Get personalized agency matches based on your project goals.