Specialized planning for complex places and infrastructure.
Specialized planning for complex places and infrastructure.
Metropolitan Development Services is a specialized urban planning consultancy helping cities, public agencies, and development partners address complex challenges at the intersection of land use, economic development, and transportation infrastructure.
Led by Jackson Strong, AICP, MDS draws on extensive experience across the public and private sectors, including the drafting and implementation of land-use policies, zoning regulations, development frameworks, and spatial strategies.
MDS is deliberately lean, responsive, and focused. The practice is particularly suited to assignments where urban development must be coordinated with ports, freight systems, rail corridors, industrial land, housing, and public infrastructure.
Our work is grounded in clear analysis, transparent communication, professional integrity, and practical recommendations designed to move projects from concept toward implementation.
This practitioner-led model brings senior-level public-sector planning experience and work across public- and private-sector planning environments. That hands-on background includes drafting, evaluating, and implementing land-use policies, zoning provisions, development frameworks, and planning strategies, with each MDS engagement receiving direct principal involvement and senior-led delivery.
Metropolitan Development Services is a specialized urban planning consultancy helping cities, public agencies, and development partners address complex challenges at the intersection of land use, economic development, and transportation infrastructure.
Led by Jackson Strong, AICP, MDS draws on extensive experience across the public and private sectors, including the drafting and implementation of land-use policies, zoning regulations, development frameworks, and spatial strategies.
MDS is deliberately lean, responsive, and focused. The practice is particularly suited to assignments where urban development must be coordinated with ports, freight systems, rail corridors, industrial land, housing, and public infrastructure.
Our work is grounded in clear analysis, transparent communication, professional integrity, and practical recommendations designed to move projects from concept toward implementation.
This practitioner-led model brings senior-level public-sector planning experience and work across public- and private-sector planning environments. That hands-on background includes drafting, evaluating, and implementing land-use policies, zoning provisions, development frameworks, and planning strategies, with each MDS engagement receiving direct principal involvement and senior-led delivery.
Practice focus
Practice focus
Primary practice areas: Ports, Rail & Freight Strategy; Industrial Land & Economic Development; and Zoning & Development Readiness.
Supporting capabilities—spatial analysis, mapping, site planning, development visualization, and concept graphics—remain tools used in support of those primary practice areas, not separate service lines.