Agency

The city is the people

Urban Factory is an international urban development agency, founded in Rostov-on-Don in 2013 and based in Zagreb, Croatia, since 2020.

Approach

From research to built result

01
Research
Every project starts with the city as it is: data, history, people and the real resources at hand.
02
Concept
A clear idea that can be explained on one page and defended in any room.
03
Public support
Festivals, forums, workshops and media turn a concept into a goal the city shares.
04
Development
The project is developed in detail — design, documentation and briefs for competitions and tenders — so it survives the hand-over.
05
Implementation support
After the brief is handed over, Urban Factory remains available as an adviser to the city and the contractors through construction and launch.

The city is the people
Every project starts and ends with the people who live in the place. Their knowledge is the main source.
Feasible by design
Solutions that fit the real budget and the real operator. For Rostov-on-Don, Urban Factory proposed developing the existing tram network instead of a metro the city could not afford.
Translators between worlds
Urban Factory speaks the languages of city administrations, business, experts and residents — and helps them understand each other.
Local roots, international exchange
International experience goes into local projects, and local experience into international ones — from Rostov-on-Don to Recife and Zagreb.

2013
Born at a festival
Urban Factory began at Urban Festival Rostov — a city festival about public space in Rostov-on-Don, where the name and the idea of the agency first appeared.
2013–2016
From events to concepts
Festivals and public-space projects grew into long-term work: a concept for the city tram network, a cycling concept, a modular micro-park and a bridge proposal for cyclists and pedestrians.
2016–2019
Strategies and international exchange
A development strategy adopted by a city council, a participatory boulevard design, an agglomeration rail concept and the revival of a city river — and a steady exchange with partners in Recife, Brazil.
2020
Zagreb
The Rostov 300 expert platform was the agency’s last major project in Rostov-on-Don. In the same year it moved its headquarters to Zagreb, Croatia.
Today
Working from Zagreb
Urban Factory by MAVEK design works from Zagreb on urban strategy, mobility and public space with partners across Europe and beyond.

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