SolutionsShaping the next chapters of cities
Point of View
Cities are made one decision at a time, and the decisions taken at masterplan stage are among the most consequential. They set the framework for how neighbourhoods feel, how infrastructure performs, how communities form, and how a place ages over the decades that follow. Swan & Maclaren approaches urban masterplanning as the long-form discipline it deserves to be.
Good masterplans balance ambition with realism. They commit to a clear vision while remaining flexible enough to absorb the changes that always come over a project's lifetime. They integrate land use, mobility, public realm, ecology, infrastructure and built form so that each one strengthens the others. And they are grounded in close reading of place, including the climate, the culture, the topography and the communities already there.
The best masterplanning today also responds to the questions reshaping cities everywhere. Climate adaptation. Walkability and reduced car dependence. Mixed-use intensity. Public realm as the connective tissue of urban life. Density done well. The masterplans that answer these questions thoughtfully now will be the most loved and most valued places of the next generation.
Swan & Maclaren brings strategy, architecture, landscape, infrastructure engineering and urban design into one integrated team for every masterplanning project. This breadth allows large-scale visions to be tested against the technical, financial and experiential realities of delivery from the earliest stages. The work spans new districts, urban regeneration precincts, mixed-use developments, transit-oriented projects and the spaces around major infrastructure.
How We Help
Specialist capabilities in urban masterplanning
Strategic Masterplanning
Every masterplan begins with a question about what a place should become. Swan & Maclaren leads strategic masterplanning that aligns landowner ambition, market reality, regulatory context and community needs into a coherent vision. The work covers programming, phasing, economic logic, urban structure and the design principles that guide downstream decisions.
Urban Design
Urban design shapes the experience of place at the scale between the building and the city. Swan & Maclaren designs streets, blocks, public spaces and the relationships between them with attention to scale, rhythm, materials and the small moments that determine whether a place feels alive. The work integrates closely with architecture, landscape and engineering.
Mixed-Use Development Planning
Mixed-use is now the default for ambitious urban projects, and getting it right is harder than it looks. Swan & Maclaren plans mixed-use developments where residential, office, retail, hospitality, civic and cultural uses coexist and reinforce one another. Particular attention is paid to the ground plane, the public realm and the interfaces between uses, which often determine commercial and experiential success.
Public Realm Design
Public space is the connective tissue of a city, and increasingly the differentiator between places that thrive and places that struggle. Swan & Maclaren designs public realm including streets, squares, parks, waterfronts and pedestrian networks with generosity, ecology and resilience in mind. The work integrates landscape, urban design and infrastructure into single, cohesive experiences.
Transit-Oriented Development
Transit-oriented development links cities together at the right scale and density. Swan & Maclaren plans developments around transit nodes with the integration of mobility, density, mixed-use programme and public realm that makes TOD work in practice. The firm's infrastructure and engineering experience is particularly relevant here, since TOD lives or dies in the technical interfaces.
Related Sectors
Get in Touch
Engage our Urban Masterplanning specialist team whether the project is a new district, a regeneration precinct, a transit-oriented development, a mixed-use project, or any urban brief that sits between architecture and the city.
A short note on the site, the scope, and the ambition for the place is the most helpful way to begin.
Contact Us