Culture

Work hard, have fun and create better urban environments. Forty years on, Urban Strategies’ founding ambition remains recognizable in the life of the practice. 

Collaboration grows through regular opportunities to share knowledge and enjoy one another’s company. Our studios bring different projects and disciplines into contact, allowing an observation from one assignment to become useful to another. Friday Things, Pecha Kuchas, Project Snapshots, Live Lunch sessions and Days Away give that exchange a place in the working week. 

These occasions make room for experience, experimentation and questions. Colleagues can introduce a new technique, examine a project or offer a different interpretation. The resulting conversations strengthen both professional judgment and working relationships. 

Shared traditions have developed their own momentum. Meals marking Lunar New Year, Eid, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali and Pride reflect the backgrounds and experiences people bring to the firm. Sports and seasonal gatherings connect colleagues beyond project teams. Our Pie Day has acquired a Pie-Law and performance standards; the pumpkin-carving contest continues to attract considerable competition. 

This culture has grown through participation, with each generation adding ideas and traditions. As the practice evolves, making time to learn, celebrate and collaborate remains an investment in its future. The next decade offers new work and new colleagues, and the opportunity to keep building a practice people are proud to shape together.