Work with Courtyard Urbanist
Courtyard Urbanist works with developers, cities, foundations, and institutions seeking to build valuable, family-friendly urban form at scale. Engagements range from introductory conversations to structured advisory work integrating design, policy, and economic analysis.
About This Work
Courtyard Urbanist’s advisory and engagement offerings are intentionally evolving. Formats, scope, and collaborations adapt to project needs and opportunities, with feedback and partnership welcome. Work draws on a flexible, interdisciplinary network of architects, planners, urbanists, researchers, and technologists. Courtyard Urbanist’s list of partners and supporters is here.
Standing Projects
Financing, technical, design, strategic and operational partners are invited for these. Please be in touch here if anything seems relevant or interesting!
Type Kits
Courtyard Urbanist is developing, with partners, a Type Kit for modern urban courtyards: a kind of typological pattern book for the Courtyard Urbanist ideal, with variations for context and program. Preview the Type Kit concept here.
This isn’t just, or even primarily, an aesthetic exercise. Type Kits are intended to:
Reframe architectural contributions to everyday living, focused on courtyard urbanism;
Provide guidance on materials, circularity, and wellness;
Accelerate new fabrication and construction techniques;
Clarify the value proposition of courtyard-led urban morphology
Integrate directly with contemporary visualization, design and construction systems.
Additional Type Kits from independent partners and designers are invited, forming a family of related but distinct courtyard identities.
Action Kits
The Courtyard Urbanist Action Kit supports real-world implementation, helping local actors navigate planning, political, and financial systems. It provides concrete guidance on researching codes, engaging planners and representatives, interfacing with developers, and rallying local interest for current and potential urban courtyard initiatives.
Courtyard Composer
The Courtyard Composer is an early implementation of the Treasury Spatial Composer tool, specialized for development of urban courtyard typologies. It allows:
Architects to share modular and parametric designs with clients in real time;
Designers and enthusiasts to upload mesh models for exploration and imagine;
Developers and the public to select real sites, test courtyard typologies, and explore how it would look, and what it would cost, to developer any given type of courtyard there.
The Courtyard Composer draws directly on the Courtyard Urbanist Type Kit and invites other Type Kits to drive engagement.
Talks, Seminars, and Discussions
Courtyard Urbanist and its network of professsionals in real estate development, architecture and built design, permitting, planning and zoning, research advocacy and more, available for ad-hoc and long-term collaborations.
Please see the standard formats for collaboration below, and be touch if these or others seem relevant to your work or interests!
Exploratory Conversations
Introductory Call
30 minutes · Free
A brief exploratory conversation with Dr. Alicia Pederson for nonprofits, public-sector actors, and early inquiries.
Development Strategy Call
90 minutes · $750
For developers, cities, and foundations with a defined question or early project concept.
Led by Dr. Alicia Pederson + team.
Virtual & Recorded Programs
Video Lecture — Courtyard Urbanism
90 minutes (45-min lecture + discussion) · $1,000
A structured introduction to courtyard urbanism, family-friendly density, and humane urban form.
Led by Dr. Alicia Pederson.
Video Seminar — Client-Specific Themes
3 hours · $3,000
Applied seminar tailored to a client’s site, policy context, or development challenge.
Led by Dr. Alicia Pederson + team.
Live Events
Live Lecture — Courtyard Urbanism
90 minutes · $3,000 + travel
For conferences, universities, and civic audiences.
Led by Dr. Alicia Pederson.
Live Seminar — Client-Specific Themes
3 hours · $5,000 + travel
Interactive, project-focused session.
Led by Dr. Alicia Pederson + team.
Public-Interest Educational Input
No fee (expenses only)
Offered selectively for educational or mission-aligned contexts.
Advisory & Consulting
First-Stage Advisory Packages
(Discounts available for mission-aligned or public-interest projects)
Real Estate Development Advisory
$15,000
Materials review
90-minute consult call
Advisory package:
2 visual boards
10-page development analysis & proposal
Value model (spreadsheet + web tool)
Research notes
Recorded video seminar
Progress check-ins and interaction
Design Advisory
$5,000–$10,000
90-minute consult call
Materials review
Advisory package:
7 visual boards (masterplan + block design)
5-page commentary
Value summary
Research notes
Recorded video seminar
Progress check-ins and interaction
Economic Development Advisory
$10,000
90-minute consult call
Materials review
Advisory package:
2 visual boards
10-page industrial strategy analysis
Partner recruitment shortlist
Value model
Recorded video seminar
Community & Participation Advisory
$15,000 + travel
90-minute consult call
Materials review
Live half-day charrette
Advisory package:
7 visual boards
15-page synthesis & proposal
Value model
Recorded video seminar
Additional Stages
Multi-stage engagements, long-term advisory roles, and custom scopes are available by request.
Courtyard Block Design Competition
$35,000 · Full-cycle planning and delivery
End-to-end design, coordination, and management of a public- or invitation-only design competition focused on courtyard block urbanism.
Scope includes:
Competition framing and brief development (policy, site, and typology goals)
Eligibility criteria and submission requirements
Jury composition and coordination
Timeline, communications, and submission management
Prize structure and award administration
Final synthesis memo and visual summary of outcomes
Designed for cities, foundations, landowners, and mission-aligned developers seeking high-quality, replicable design intelligence rather than one-off concepts.
Led by Dr. Alicia Pederson + team.