Working for Better Cities
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Leadership | Experience | Collaboration | Results

Working for Better Cities

Creating Vibrant and Inclusive Urban Areas

The Urban Partnership offers a range of complementary leadership services and competencies covering a broad spectrum related to city and place planning, management and organizational development. We aim to help a variety of clients create vibrant and inclusive urban areas, working across sectoral boundaries and the silos that stymie systems change.  Our goal is to assist community and city leaders to more effectively plan, design and manage placemaking and urban development in order to achieve viable, sustainable and inclusive results.

 
Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.
— Jane Jacobs

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The partners

Ellen McCarthy and Rich Bradley offer a range of complementary leadership services and competencies covering a broad spectrum related to city and place planning, management and organizational development. The team’s combined experience spans more than 80 years, multiple Washington DC-area neighborhoods and major cities across the US and the world, and strategic planning efforts that have contributed greatly to the modern development of Washington, DC.


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Representative Projects

We offer assistance in a variety of different service areas. Please click on the boxes in this section to see just a few examples of the work we have completed both in Washington, DC and abroad.

Urban Placemaking & Management

Planning, implementing and managing place-based organizations like Business Improvement Districts and Main Streets as well as specific projects and programs from streetscape enhancement and homeless services to help grow businesses and economic development for commercial areas.

City Planning

We have helped develop a range of land use and development plans for cities and neighborhoods, with a particular emphasis on creating walkable neighborhoods with diverse housing & open space.

Leadership & Organization Development

Lead, manage and govern large-scale organizations, like state and municipal agencies as well as a variety of catalytic non-profit organizations like business associations, BIDs, arts groups, affordable housing organizations and festivals.

Strategic Planning

Providing structure and leadership to a variety of collaborative strategic planning processes, engaging multiple stakeholders resulting in implemented action agendas for both city areas and organizations.

Planning for Equitable Development

Advocates for city development projects and programs that include strategies for enabling current residents to avoid being displaced by redevelopment pressures, increasing the amount of affordable housing and fostering wealth development by lower-income DC residents.

Project Planning

Developing strategies for compliance of complex projects with DC & Federal regulations, negotiating their review processes, and helping maximizing their quality and success in meeting project objectives.

International Projects

Rich and Ellen have years of experience assisting cities by developing land use frameworks and organizing regional stakeholders to deal with urban problems and civic culture.


Learn more about effective urban strategies, read relevant articles of interest and much more by heading to our BLOG.


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