about us

Founded in 2020 by father-daughter design team Rob and Kelly Adams, Adams Urban has since been commissioned to work on projects throughout Australia.

With over 40 years of award-winning experience transforming places for success, we offer urban design expertise on urban projects of all scales and stages.

Our experience spans designing and delivering complex city-changing public-private developments, streetscape upgrades, and the smallest details of city furniture designed to last.

As a micro-business, we flexibly add to project teams, working with all city-makers, including government, non-government organisations, developers, other design and planning consultancies, and communities, on city-change projects we believe in.

  • Rob is an acclaimed urban designer and architect whose 40 years of leadership at the City of Melbourne helped transform it into one of the world’s most liveable cities. The teams he led won over 175 international, national, state and local awards.

    Rob received an Order of Australia in 2007, the Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year award in 2008 and the Australian Institute of Architects’ National President’s Prize in 2018. From 2008 to 2022, he represented Australia as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Cities.

    Rob founded Adams Urban in 2020 to share his expertise and insights with other established and emerging cities worldwide.

    In addition to his project work, panel, and jury roles, Rob is a sought-after speaker both nationally and internationally.

    See LinkedIn for more on Rob.

PEOPLE

  • Kelly is an urban designer and co-founder of AU. Before forming the practice with Rob, she worked as an urban designer and project manager in state and local government and private practice.

    As a Director of Adams Urban, Kelly has assisted government and non-government city-makers with projects throughout Australia, including Victoria, NSW, Queensland and the ACT. She brings clear thinking and passion to her work translating clients’ urban challenges into effective outcomes for places.

    Kelly holds a Master of Urban Design (University of Melbourne), a Diploma in Book Editing and Publishing (Macleay College), a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws (Monash University).

    See LinkedIn for more on Kelly.