The Planning Center and Design Community & Environment (DC&E) Announce Merger

Deal will leverage experience and success of both firms toward larger geographic imprint and new opportunities

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Mar 02, 2011, 05:52 ET

COSTA MESA, Calif., March 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The merger of two major planning firms, The Planning Center of Costa Mesa, CA, and DC&E of Berkeley, CA, was announced today. The Planning Center is a full-service consulting firm specializing in community planning, environmental services, and land planning and design. DC&E provides a comprehensive range of planning and design services, with an emphasis on urban design and smart growth.

Management teams at both firms will remain in place and the deal will enable the firms to leverage complementary services to open new geographic opportunities and aggressive business development throughout the western United States.

"We have been aware of the quality of DC&E's work and their reputation for some time," said Randy Jackson, president of The Planning Center. "As we began conversations toward this merger, it quickly became apparent that our respective strengths would mesh together to provide a greater depth and wider breadth of services for our clients. We believe the merger positions the combined firm for a significant impact on the continuing growth and development of urban areas throughout the western United States."

The Planning Center and DC&E provide many of the same core services, including comprehensive planning, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) services, urban design, and corridor and transit-oriented planning services. However, with The Planning Center headquartered in southern California and DC&E headquartered in northern California, the merger provides each firm with a strong new base of operations in a new region of the state. Each firm also has specialties that complement the work provided by the other—for example, DC&E offers landscape architecture, GIS and scenario modeling services, and natural resource planning and management services, while The Planning Center provides school and technical environmental services, an array of economic analyses, and housing expertise.

"We look forward to finding ways that bring the best of both firms to both new and existing clients," said David Early, founding principal of DC&E. "Through our complementary services and shared focus on creating better communities, we hope to improve the quality of life for citizens throughout the United States."

About The Planning Center

Headquartered in Costa Mesa, CA, The Planning Center is a full-service consulting firm with a broad range of private and public clients and specializes in community planning, environmental services, and land planning and design. The Planning Center provides unique and innovative solutions to difficult planning problems. Its mission is to create better places, in collaboration with its clients, for people to live, work, learn and enjoy their lives. For additional information, please call 714.966.9220 or visit the firm's Web site at www.planningcenter.com.

About Design, Community & Environment

Founded by David Early in 1995, DC&E provides a comprehensive range of planning and design services in comprehensive planning, urban design, landscape architecture, transportation and bicycle planning, and environmental review, all with an emphasis on smart growth. The company believes that responsible planning and design reflect the communities they serve and work in concert with the natural environment.