Our Team.
Alicia Belton
FAIA, NOMA, NCARB
With a heart to serve others, Alicia enjoys learning about people and places. Read more…
Elena Giannetti
Executive Assistant
Compassion and service drive Elena’s commitment to supporting others be their best selves. Read more…
Fatima Adam
Design Sustainability Intern
Fatima’s passion for architecture started when she found out she could change her environment. Read more…
Designing wellness in the world.©
#whereintheworld #udparchitects
Our Story.
Urban Design Perspectives was incorporated in Minnesota on January 31, 1999. Our story really began with the dreams of our Founding Principal Alicia Belton’s to someday own an architecture practice. As a youth, she enjoyed making art and building things out of everyday objects. This desire continues to be a fundamental core of our practice to use the resources that we have creatively and wisely.
Through the years, we have also grown our understanding of resources to include our time, talent and treasure. We volunteer with organizations that support the development of youth and protect our environment. We have committed to use our talent to learn new ways of designing buildings with net zero impact. We are also mindful of our client’s resources and advise appropriate solutions that reflect their fiscal, environmental and growth objectives. Of course, there is that visual element that brings all of these things together…that’s where we bring our margin perspectives.
Fast forward to 2019, we have worked with non-profits, religious, public and corporate clients to help realize their programming, planning, design and building projects of housing, workplace, hospitality and religious spaces. The seed idea of making old things new has become our wheelhouse with a focus on adaptive re-use.
Celebrating our 20th Anniversary, we birthed our SHAKE values and payed it forward to those who have helped us in our growth and development. As we look to the future, we aspire to build a community of like minded client and consultants to create a better world one project at a time where wellness is central to every decision from programming to completion.
What’s up with the MARGINS?
The margins is our design philosophy in how we approach our work. Yes, it’s a place to record and recall important facts and ideas, but we also view it as a place that sparks creativity. (read more...)
Our Process.
What does a successful outcome look like? Listen. Design. Advocate. Reflect. Repeat.
Within this circle of becoming are creativity, community and collaboration.
We listen to learn the details of your project. Your visions, hope and dreams are important to us. It is where we find the nuisances that make each project unique and special unto itself. We call it Visual Listening and use this information to understand your project requirements.
We design with your expectations in mind. We clarify all these of details into spatial diagrams and drawings that reflect the dialogue. Through a lens of environment, equity and economic considerations, we offer graphic solutions that respond to your vision.
We advocate your solutions to code officials as well as community participants. It is an important step towards creating a unified platform of project consensus for building. Sometimes called “back to the drawing board”, it is a way for others to understand your desired outcome within the project narrative, applicable code and neighboring policies.
Reflect. We call this the refining process of ensuring that we have captured the essential elements of making this project special for you and relevant to all involved from the end user (which may be you) to those who will approve and experience it.
A word about how we practice — AIA Code of Ethics.
Listen. Design. Advocate. Reflect. Repeat.
Our Community.
Our community is comprised of consultants, suppliers and non-profit organizations that support our work. They are valued partners and collaborators enabling us to serve our clients well.
We value our certifications: WBENC and CERT.
