Number of Projects on Platform Increased by 75% Year Over Year
Cambridge, MA, January 11, 2022 — coUrbanize, the leading technology company that powers community engagement in development and planning, saw its biggest year of growth in 2021, announces Karin Brandt, founder and CEO. Most notably, the number of projects served on the platform increased by 75% year over year.
“The pandemic and the racial justice movement raised awareness of challenges surrounding inclusion and equity,” says Brandt. “Many real estate developers responded by making concerted efforts to engage underserved communities in the planning process. The result was an enormous boost in demand for our services.”
Highlights of the year include:
- Gain of 5,495 new followers of projects on the platform, representing a 43% increase from 2020.
- A 72% increase in the number of comments from community members posted on the coUrbanize platform. The 2021 total came to 10,545 comments. Also notable: The number of comments submitted by text reached 134% of those submitted in 2020. See our recent blog for more details.
- A measurable rise in support for projects. In 2021, 90% of posted comments were positive or neutral, compared to 77% in 2020.
- A project footprint across 21 states, roughly double the number of states from 2020. New markets include Illinois, where coUrbanize is working with developer Fern Hill on a six-parcel project in Old Town, Chicago.
- An expansion into the Canadian market with coUrbanize’s first projects in the greater Toronto area, including Engage East Harbour, a massive transit-oriented community on 37 acres east of downtown.
- Prestigious honors: Fast Company selected coUrbanize as a finalist for its 2021 World Changing Ideas – Awards, Spaces, Places and Cities category. The Ivory Prize for Housing Innovation included the company in its Top 10 list, and Boston Business Journal named Karin Brandt one of its 40-under-40.
“It’s encouraging to see more and more developers embrace community engagement in their project planning,” says Brandt. They’re also adopting strategies that enable them to reach people who rarely had a voice in the traditional planning process, which was largely dependent on in-person meetings. Now previously marginalized residents can weigh in on projects that affect their quality of life and the economic health of their communities.”
She concludes: “With more than 70 projects currently active, we look forward to keeping up the momentum toward meaningful engagement in the months ahead.”
About coUrbanize
coUrbanize gives people a way to share their feedback and have a voice in a development or public planning process without having to go to a meeting – by simply posting a comment online or texting in their ideas – and having a two-way dialogue with the project team. More than 400 development and real estate teams have used coUrbanize to scale public outreach in a more inclusive way, have more productive conversations with the community, and ultimately build critical support for their projects. For more information, please visit cour.loc.
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