What is Urbanism?
Many people may not know what the word “urbanism” means, or perhaps they have a negative connotation [1] given the word contains “urban” and the word ‘urban’ may be politically incorrect [2] or cities and density can be scary. Especially in English-speaking Western countries, the word may be conflated with crime, or skyscrapers, or even certain types of music [3]. But it is not entirely any of those things.
[1] Kaid Benfield, "A Very Personal Take: I’m Struggling with the Word ‘Urbanism,’ and Here’s Why," Medium, March 11, 2021, https://medium.com/@kaid_81901/a-very-personal-take-im-struggling-with-the-word-urbanism-and-heres-why-2913b160c39b
[2] Michele Fine, "What Do You Mean When You Say Urban? Speaking Honestly About Race and Students," Rethinking Schools, https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/what-do-you-mean-when-you-say-urban-speaking-honestly-about-race-and-students/.
[3] Jemima McEvoy, "Here’s How ‘Urban’—A Term Plagued by Racial Stereotypes—Came to Be Used to Describe Black Musicians," Forbes, June 10, 2020
Urbanism is the way we build our places and our relationship to that built environment which shapes it. This takes a multitudinous semblance of forms - everything from rural outposts to Manhattan skyscrapers to railroad ghost towns to suburban tract subdivisions. Urbanism could be anything from an industrial warehouse to the street you drive on - it’s the imprint of how we build on the world.
…“Wait, what the heck is urban planning then?"
Good question! As humans urbanize, we create environments in which we connect to each other, share ideas, and aim for productive lives. Like a beehive, our patterns of development shape the way we go through and experience life. This can include everything from design motifs, to the public realm, architectural vernacular, or to cultural folkways. Urbanism is the web of those experiential patterns of place. Urban planning, then is the understanding and direction of those patterns to give the best form for the people around them. Planning isn’t scary, instead, it’s like planting, making sure communities have the right soil conditions to grow their best plants. Urban planners help to make sure people and places can grow.
We believe that places should be as flexible as possible to allow that growth. Our rules should not get in the way but rather guide emergent needs everyday people have.
We at Proformus keep this in mind when we help build places.
We ask, “what does a place want to be?
…and how can we get there?”
Approach
Building Blocks →
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Proformus leads with placekeeping to honor local identity, memory, and meaning as cities evolve. While development often focuses on what can be added, our placekeeping practice begins by understanding what must be protected, uplifted, or reinterpreted. We work closely with community members, historians, artists, and cultural leaders to surface layered narratives, ensuring planning and design efforts are rooted in authenticity and context.
→ Cultural and Asset-Based Mapping
→ Community Engagement
→ Brand Strategies
→ Quality of Life Planning
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Proformus helps unlock the full potential of underutilized land. By analyzing land values, demographic trends, market absorption rates, and surrounding neighborhood dynamics, we identify sites best positioned for near- and long-term investment. Our approach reframes site constraints as development opportunities—positioning edges, buffers, or overlooked parcels as valuable assets rather than hindrances.
→ Economic Development Strategies
→ Development Scenario Planning
→ Market Analysis
→ Market Validation
→ Grant Writing
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Proformus provides comprehensive urban planning services that shape places to be intentional. We approach planning as both a technical framework and a cultural act, balancing policy, land use, infrastructure, and design with lived experience and local priorities. Our work spans individual sites, neighborhood plans, corridor strategies, and citywide visions, all guided by a deep commitment to implementation. We help clients navigate complexity and chart a path toward getting stuff done.
→ Zoning Approvals, Entitlement & Strategy
→ Comprehensive & Neighborhood Planning
→ Corridor & District Frameworks
→ Zoning Strategy & Policy Alignment
→ Implementation & Action Steps
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The Proformus strategy is rooted in a collaborative, tech-driven approach that crafts context-sensitive design. Rather than rushing into form, we let spatial data guide the framework for future investment.
→ Place-Based Narratives
→ Spatial Analysis
→ Data Mapping
→ Behavioral & Built Environment Data
