Urban Systems (USL) is a privately held Canadian company with ownership by employee partners. All partners are active practitioners, based throughout Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia with a complement of approximately 600 staff in 15 offices including Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Our Winnipeg office was established in 2017 and has since grown to 16 professionals servicing a range of municipal, Indigenous Communities, government agency and development clients. Our consulting focus is on land development, community and regional planning, landscape architecture, civil engineering, transportation planning and design, and environmental planning.
WE SEE OURSELVES AS A LIVING COMPANY THAT IS CONTINUALLY LEARNING, ADVANCING, AND EXPANDING TO MEET THE UNIQUE AND CHANGING NEEDS OF OUR CLIENTS AND PEOPLE.
With over 40 years of experience, USL has become known for great service. This has been developed by fostering a solid partnering approach with clients and working as a multi-disciplinary consulting team to prepare integrated solutions within our projects. A large part of our history has been through partnerships with Indigenous Communities, Municipalities and Land Developers.
“Spirit in Service for Vibrant Communities” is our company’s higher calling statement and the foundation of our entire practice. Since the company was founded, our primary focus has been on developing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with our clients/communities where we can really make a difference. Our offices are not structured as profit centers, which gives us a unique ability to draw on the diverse skills of all our professionals and engage the right people on the project at the right time, regardless of their physical location. Our reputation is built on project quality, solution-based project delivery and collaborative conversations.
USL takes an interdisciplinary “One-Team” approach by collaborating closely on all aspects of a project both internally and externally with other project team members and our clients. We assemble a customized team of our professionals for every new assignment to seek design and construction approvals for each unique development journey through continual dialogue alongside our clients. We also believe that close collaboration with our clients; other stakeholders and the design team is critical to project success and that an integrated approach leads to better solutions earlier in the design process.
USL prides itself by finding ways our professionals can design solutions for our clients while being environmentally aware and socially responsible. Our environmental and social values extend well beyond our projects and having a significant influence on how our organization operates daily and how it builds relationships with our clients to enhance the broader community.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
Urban Systems’ Landscape Architecture practice brings decades of combined experience in the design and delivery of public and private landscape projects. With capabilities encompassing elements of ecology, horticulture, botany, sociology, geology, water resource management, architecture, psychology,
wildlife management, and economics, our team designs and manages projects that impart value to and understanding of place. Within the context of Urban Systems’ inter-disciplinary practice, our team of landscape architects work with our clients to:
- build vibrant and sustainable communities
- create places that attract people for work, play, social and community activity, shopping and living
- manage site, environmental and economic resources in a sensitive and responsible manner
- determine and realize the best use of land
- engage, facilitate, and respond to community input
- express natural, heritage, social and cultural values of a site
- connect people to their neighborhood, community, and environment
Range of Services
Urban Systems has compiled a unique and experienced group of professionals specializing in all facets of landscape architecture. Our areas of expertise include the following:
- Open Space Planning and Site Design
- Multi-modal Connectivity and Circulation
- Urban Design, Redevelopment, and Revitalization
- Site Identity and Placemaking
- Environmental Design and Sustainability
Within these areas of expertise, our landscape architects provide a full range of services which are critical to achieving a successful finished project. These services include:
- Opportunity Identification and Project Definition
- Comprehensive Site Analysis and Inventory
- Feasibility Assessment and Implementation Planning
- Engagement and Communication
- Conceptual Design and Layout
- Design Development
- Presentation Graphics / 3D Modelling
- Detailed Design / Construction Documents
- Specifications
- Cost Analysis / Budgeting
- Construction Administration
- Project Management
- Client and Regulatory Agency Coordination
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