Press Releases May 6, 2025

Strategic Advisory and Transportation Planning Firm Access Planning Joins NelsonNygaard

Merger results in expanded capabilities in advisory services, mobility planning and design, and infrastructure program development across the U.S. and Canada
A red streetcar travelling down a street in Toronto

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Access Planning, a Canadian advisory firm that works with city builders, policy makers, and community leaders to improve the way people experience and move through urban environments, has joined Nelson\Nygaard, a North American firm that plans and designs mobility solutions that support equitable, sustainable communities.

The merger will strengthen both firms’ positions in the North American market, allowing Nelson\Nygaard to grow its services in Canada and expanding Access Planning’s offerings across the U.S.

“Together, Access Planning and Nelson\Nygaard offer integrated, multimodal, and strategic planning expertise, supported by strong technical and policy skills, enduring client relationships, and shared values,” says Tamim Raad, co-founder and CEO at Access Planning. “We’ve known and respected each other for many years, collaborating regularly in Canada and the Western U.S. This is an exciting and very positive moment for our firms, our people, and, importantly, for our clients.”

Excellence in client service, twice over 

Founded in 1987 and 2015, respectively, Nelson\Nygaard and Access Planning have earned reputations in the U.S. and Canada as market leaders in strategic advisory services and transportation planning and design. By combining their talents and capabilities, the companies will be able to provide clients with a more complete and robust suite of planning services, as well as deeper expertise across a broad range of city building, mobility, and infrastructure topics.

These include project development and program management for bus, rail, and airport infrastructure, including megaprojects; regional and transit agency governance; executive and political-level project decision support; multimodal transportation planning and street design; transit-oriented development; policy-making and regional planning; safety analyses and data analytics; and community engagement.

“Our clients are facing complex challenges as they create more livable and sustainable cities, expand equitable access to public transit, design safer streets, and deliver major capital projects. These challenges require both nuanced technical expertise and big-picture strategic guidance,” says Jennifer Wieland, managing director of Nelson\Nygaard. “Fortunately, these are the moments when Nelson\Nygaard and Access Planning really shine.”

Shared values for a seamless connection

The benefits extend to the firms’ staff, as well, who will gain enhanced opportunities for professional learning and career development, as well as new experiences working on different projects and in different locations across North America. With similar work cultures, common values around people-centered planning and design, and a joint passion for equitable, sustainable transportation, Access Planning and Nelson\Nygaard leaders anticipate a joyful, seamless integration.

“Having worked together as trusted partners on many projects—from master planning 19 of Toronto’s rail stations and creating citywide design guidance for people-centered transit access to envisioning and planning Vancouver’s new Bus Rapid Transit network—this coming-together feels like a natural next step,” says Karen Peachey, co-founder and chief operating officer at Access Planning. “Our shared values make us immediately compatible and will be the key to our shared success.”

Greater reach, more resources

By virtue of its merger with Nelson\Nygaard, Access Planning now also joins global architecture and design firm Perkins&Will, which acquired Nelson\Nygaard in 2016. This means Access Planning staff will have expanded professional resources, technology platforms, and networks. The relationship also opens new opportunities for Access Planning to grow architectural and urban design collaborations with Perkins&Will on North American and international transportation and urban design projects. These include urban rail, high speed rail, airport, and development integration initiatives.

“We warmly welcome our Access Planning colleagues to Nelson\Nygaard and the broader Perkins&Will family,” says CEO Phil Harrison. “Our organizations are committed to designing cities that are healthy and human-centered, and we already have a proven track record of doing excellent work together. I have no doubt we’ll be even stronger as one firm.”

###

About Access Planning

Access Planning is a Vancouver- and Toronto-based mobility planning and advisory services firm that works for Canada’s and North America’s leading transportation agencies. The team works with clients to advance major infrastructure projects from concept to successful delivery, create industry-leading policies and plans, shape governance transformation for institutions and organizations, and support senior leaders with decision-making on the most complex infrastructure and policy problems. With a focus on shaping cities for the better, Access Planning provides direct-to-client advisory and owner’s representative services and convenes multidisciplinary specialized teams for major initiatives. For more information, visit www.accessplanning.ca.

About Nelson\Nygaard

Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates is an internationally recognized North American firm committed to developing transportation systems that promote vibrant, sustainable, and accessible communities. The business operates out of the U.S. and Canada. Founded by two women in 1987, Nelson\Nygaard has grown from its roots in transit planning to a full-service transportation planning and design firm that uses an inclusive and multimodal approach in every project. Recognizing that transportation is not an end in itself but a platform for achieving broader community goals, Nelson\Nygaard begins its work by putting people first. For more information, visit www.nelsonnygaard.com.

About Perkins&Will

Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. The firm is committed to creating a better, beautiful, more equitable world through Living Design, an approach that integrates environmental, social, and design considerations to advance ecological health and well-being. Interior Design named Perkins&Will a “Sustainability Giant” in 2024; Architizer named it the world’s “Best Sustainable Firm” in 2023; and Metropolis named it “Firm of the Year” in 2022 for its industry leadership in advancing climate action and social justice. Fast Company named Perkins&Will one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies in Architecture three times, and in 2021, it added the firm to its list of Brands That Matter—making Perkins&Will the first architecture practice in the world to earn the distinction.

With an international team of more than 2,500 professionals, Perkins&Will has over 30 studios worldwide, providing integrated services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture. Partners include Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects; McLennan Design; Portland; Nelson\Nygaard; and Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR). Perkins&Will is part of the Sidara Collaborative, a global network of leading designers, engineers, planners, and consultants.