Urban design is for people!

The new task must always lead to an improvement of the living environment of all of us. We work from the existing environment, the context of the assignment. By means of analyses, the qualities of a place come up and can become a starting point for the future. The public space is the carrier for us. This offers the opportunity to connect to the existing network of greenery, outdoor spaces and infrastructure. By means of a good layout and appearance, the surroundings of the plan area also benefit from the new developments.

A project is successful when all parties are pleased. We take pride in what we have accomplished and we'll continue to focus on the liveability of the city and the living environment of the people.

Sustainability

At Urbis, sustainability starts with a vision on the assignment at the highest scale. By designing a framework of public spaces, a clear structure arises. This way the plan maintains its readable and clear structure in the long run. During the last years, Urbis acquired and practiced much knowledge about the relation between urban design and environmental contours.

Water

In the past years, Urbis dealt a lot with the relation between living, working and the water. Inspired by the current water task, we studied a lot on new concepts in this field. Facing the increasing problems dealing with water and the climate change in the long term, Urbis is determined to carry out these concepts in the urban planning.

Participation

In our projects we deal with current residents, entrepreneurs and users. Input, information provision and mutual understanding are crucial for the success of a project. We have a lot of experience with different types of (resident) participation, such as coordinating work or sounding board groups, organizing information markets or workshops, drawing up surveys and organizing excursions.

Urbis werd in 1987 opgericht door Donald Lambert. Sindsdien heeft Urbis aan een constante stroom projecten gewerkt, met de nadruk op veranderingen in de bestaande stad. Dit is inmiddels uitgegroeid tot een indrukwekkende lijst van meer dan 500 projecten, variërend van kleinschalige stedelijke invulling tot regionale gebiedsvisies. In 1992 ging Urbis een partnerschap aan met Kraaijvanger Architecten om het architectuur- en stedenbouwkundig bureau Kraaijvanger • Urbis op te richten. Na 15 jaar intensieve samenwerking ging de gehele afdeling stedenbouw zelfstandig verder onder de naam Urbis, bureau voor stadsontwerp. In 2008 trad Petra Sala toe als partner, gevolgd door Audrey Coert in 2021. Donald, Petra en Audrey vormden samen de directie van Urbis. In de zomer van 2024 trad Donald terug als partner en directeur en sindsdien vormen Audrey en Petra de directie van het Urbis-team, dat bestaat uit stedenbouwkundigen, (technisch) tekenaars en landschapsarchitecten. Sinds 2016 is het bureau gevestigd in het monumentale voormalige hoofdkantoor van Heineken in hartje Rotterdam.