TBG Partners’ Innovative Urban Design + Planning Studio Prepares Cities for Future Growth

Firm widens its focus to include the practice area of urban design across all market sectors.

AUSTIN, DALLAS, HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO [June 26, 2024] – TBG Partners proudly announces a new studio for the firm to address the demands of the ever-growing population in Texas: TBG’s Urban Design + Planning Studio.

This newly formed studio is a reallocation of resources coupled with several key strategic hires in these areas to bolster the firm’s expertise and emphasis in urban design and community planning throughout the state.

“The intentional fortification of our Urban Design + Planning Team represents an important step in not only TBG’s evolution, stemming from our strategic plan where we set a goal to restructure the team as a firmwide practice studio to utilize expertise across the firm,” said Bill Odle, President of TBG Partners, “but also represents an important step in Texas’ growth. With this group fortified, we are better equipped to plan and implement projects that reflect our commitment to sustainability by addressing the complex challenges of urban growth.”

Building upon 35+ years of community planning and landscape architecture across the major metros of Texas (and beyond), this strategic expansion into urban design reflects the firm’s commitment to shaping vibrant, sustainable places that build community and enhance quality of life.

Helmed by co-Directors Robert Acuña Pilgrim, PLA, ASLA, and Samantha Whitney, AIA, AICP, the Urban Design + Planning Team consists of a diverse group of designers from many walks of life. At TBG, they are leading transformative projects that create more walkable, equitable, resilient, and playful places through a collaborative approach to planning and design that prioritizes connections between people and place.

“We have found that the key to interdisciplinary collaboration is in the common vocabulary we all use as planners, urban designers, architects, and landscape architects – we’re all focusing on the spaces between and outside of buildings, allowing the team an opportunity to approach design from different perspectives,” Acuña Pilgrim said.

Texas currently has a population of 30 million people. Based on current trends, Texas is expected to gain another three to five million people by its bicentennial in 2036. By 2060, Texas will be home to anywhere between 36 and 44 million people. While these numbers are staggering, it shows how robustly the state continues to grow, especially in cities within the Texas Triangle. With this studio now in place, TBG’s goal is to continue to be at the forefront of urban design and planning, providing thoughtful solutions for the needs of present and future generations.

“What I find most exciting is that we as a firm are so focused on expanding our impact across all scales of our work from rural to suburban to urban and urban core – creating holistic solutions that elevate the urban experience,” Whitney said. “For example, with our current work at the Pearl, we’re discovering what it means to reduce dependency on the automobile in these environments that we’re working with and pushing communities toward a more walkable, sustainable future.”

The Urban Design + Planning team is currently seeking a dynamic and experienced leader for our growing team in North Texas. Visit tbgpartners.com/firm/#careers to apply.