ATU comprises more than 70 members from various disciplines: architecture, urban planning, social studies, urban legislation and economics, anthropology. Since 2001, the organization has promoted the multi-trans-interdisciplinary approach in dealing with space. 

 

One of ATU's primary concerns is the need for negotiations between stakeholders sharing space. In order to have a more balanced situation, this NGO has shared knowledge so that the civil society has more chances to enter the discussions with the economic powers and decision making powers. Many of the projects are therefore associated with participatory democracy and transparent decision making. 

 

Think tank organizations are not very much known and appreciated in Romania. One of the few possible ways of offering public policies ideas and solutions to public authorities is through the tenders launched by the public authorities so that ATU's team has contributed to the development of methodologies by acting as a consultancy group.

 

Also, ATU has been recognized by the Ministry of Education as an independent research center in 2008. As leading partner or as a partner of various universities, the research projects proposed by ATU were aiming to improve living conditions, urban mobility, quality of public space, rural development, heritage protection (see portofolio).