Archaïos Competitors

The Urban Institute is a research-to-impact institution founded on one simple idea: To improve lives and strengthen communities, we need practices and policies that work. From advancing well-being to fostering shared prosperity, leaders across sectors are working every day to create brighter futures for all people and communities. For more than 50 years, Urban has delivered evidence and solutions that drive meaningful change, and this remains our charge today.

Local governments are the foundation of a thriving society. But too often, the essential currency of governance, community trust is fractured. Why? Traditional public input methods - contentious meetings, time-consuming surveys, and high barriers to participation, amplify the voices of the few. We call it the “Same Ten People” problem. The broader, more diverse community goes unheard. That’s where Zencity comes in. Zencity is the AI-native governance platform that powers community voices into finished government work. We go beyond insights - we inject community intelligence directly into the workflows that power cities, counties, and agencies. Our mission is to ensure every government decision is timely, inclusive, and actionable - rooted in real community insight, not just anecdote. We turn public feedback into everyday government action, fueling a continuous loop where you can reach more, understand deeper, act smarter.

At Gehl, we are committed to creating the future we all want to live in. Gehl is a networked urban strategy and design consultancy, with offices in Copenhagen, New York, and San Francisco, offering expertise in the fields of architecture, urban design, landscape architecture, and city planning. We address global trends using empirical analysis to design for social behavior that drives meaningful change. We work to create a future in which communities have control over their health and well-being; where inclusive neighborhoods and places are designed to encourage a sense of belonging and make it easier for people to take purposeful climate action. Our approach is iterative and holistic, making cities for people and the planet using life-centered data, strategy, and design. We begin by working to understand the existing life of a space before we shape the built environment. It’s these existing activities, user groups, and behavior patterns that inform future visions and designs that invite public life to flourish.