Cambridge

Cambridge

VU.CITY Cambridge's functionality and rich data layers help reduce design and planning uncertainty, highlight potential impact and speed up crucial decisions.

With VU.CITY 3D interactive digital model of Cambridge all stakeholders can collaborate on solutions for smarter decisions and project success.

#N/Asq km
MODELLED TO 15CM ACCURACY
395,810
TREES, ACCURATE TO HEIGHT & CANOPY
73,713
Buildings
sq km
MODELLED TO 15CM ACCURACY
TREES, ACCURATE TO HEIGHT & CANOPY
Buildings

Beautiful and historic, prosperous and innovative, Cambridge has a unique character with many iconic college buildings. Its green spaces within urban areas are especially key to what makes Cambridge unique, yet its conservation constraints mean that land supply is limited. Trees form an important element of Cambridge’s characterful core & surrounding suburbs, with elevated views from the rural hinterland and Castle Mount revealing the classical view of Cambridge’s historic buildings. 

VU.CITY Cambridge enables an understanding of longer range views, with the ability to walk around the model in a 360 degree experience to envisage the impact of any project on the city’s green spaces and built environment. 

The digital platform provides a deep understanding of the historic environment and how a design or proposal might affect it, made all the easier by being able to highlight and bring to the front of mind buildings of key significance, such as the colleges, and fully consider the impact of proposals. 

Data layers shared by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Authority allow for designs to take into account key aspects of current policy, and ensure that areas of opportunity when designing a scheme are easily identified.

VU.CITY Cambridge users include Greater Cambridge Shared Planning, Turley, Formation Architects, Allies & Morrison and Hawkins\Brown, who have already discovered the model’s many benefits, from being able to instantly understand and assess a site’s challenges and potential, test and experience design in situ, to improving how everyone involved collaborates.

Get your Free 7-day Trial

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

VU.CITY Cambridge: Highlights

Create, edit and assess massing

Easily test massing to understand design feasibility.

VU.CITY Consented Schemes Timeline. View all major consented schemes across Cambridge.
Consented Schemes Timeline

Realise a site’s potential by viewing and assessing recently consented developments across Cambridge.

Assess multiple initial massing options at an early stage and GEA potential quickly with VU.CITY Cambridge.
Test Massing

Assess multiple initial massing options at an early stage and GEA potential quickly.

Easily import your designs from external 3D software (such as Revit, Rhino, SketchUp & 3ds Max) into the Cambridge model and test how they will work in situ.
Import Designs

Easily import your designs from external 3D software (such as Revit, Rhino, SketchUp & 3ds Max) into the Cambridge model and test how they will work in situ.

Quickly view and assess the initial impact of light from your proposed developments in VU.CITY’s model of Cambridge.
Sunlight Analysis

Quickly view and assess the initial impact of light from your proposed developments.

Conduct high-level townscape and visual impact assessments with an accurate 3D model of Cambridge.
Camera Studies and Presenter Tool

Conduct high-level townscape and visual impact assessments. Agree on key views to analyse further. Select key views and confidentially present your proposals and take stakeholder on the journey of design.

Use an accurate 3D model of Cambridge to assess where your scheme can be seen from with Zone of Theoretical Visibility.
Zone of Theoretical Visibility

Save time by eliminating unnecessary views for analysis. Understand where your scheme can be seen from and which views are critical to assess.

Work more collaboratively on designs with VU.CITY's 3D model of Cambridge
Annotate with Tags

Mark up comments and actions and easily collaborate on a site or scheme with project team members.

Cambridge_Hub_Collaboration
Scope, Design & Collaborate

VU.CITY's project collaboration space, the Hub, allows you to seamlessly communicate with stakeholders, to make better design & planning decisions, faster.

   Data Layers

   Data Layers

Air Safety Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Area Action Plan Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Areas of Major Change Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

City Boundary Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

City Centre Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

City County Wildlife and Local Nature Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

City Safeguard Land Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Consented Schemes Timeline

   Data Layers

Conservation Areas

   Data Layers

Conservation Areas Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

County Minera Waste Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

County Mineral Safe Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

District Local or Neighbourhood Centre Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

GreenBelt Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Greenbelt

   Data Layers

Listed Buildings

   Data Layers

National Geological Interest Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Opportunity Areas Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Primary Shopping Area Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Proposal Site Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Protected Industrial Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Protected Open Space Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Sites of Special Scientific Interest Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Strategic District Heating Area Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

The North West Area Action Plan Open Space Data from Cambridge City Council

   Data Layers

Trees

   Data Layers

Energy Performance Certificates

   Data Layers

Scheduled Monuments

   Data Layers

Annual Average Household Income 2021

   Data Layers

Deprivation Index 2021

   Data Layers

Land Registry Query

   Data Layers

Population Density 2021

Cambridge Coverage

Can't see your area? Get in touch.  
VU.CITY is constantly expanding in coverage.

SUBMITTING A SCHEME FOR ANALYSIS

How can using VU.CITY benefit my application?

Create smart cities the smart way

VU.CITY helps organise, visualise, and analyse city data in the clearest and most accessible way to make better decisions.

VU.CITY covers the whole of London and 25 major UK and international cities.

Quickly identify and appraise sites.  VU.CITY's visualization, design functionality and planning data, allow you to optimise your designs.

Transform design and planning

Now everyone involved can have a clear, universal understanding of what’s proposed and why, in a single, secure place. VU.CITY makes decision-making democratic and fair.

Build trust and collaboration

Remove barriers and minimise risks early. Have confidence in your designs and plans. Increase buy-in for project success.

Improve
outcomes
Test out ideas in situ, from one building to a masterplan. Create your vision and submissions with confidence.
Collate site information in one place
Communicate complex spatial arrangements
Make documentation stand up and stand out
Speed up planning conversations
Strengthen relationships
Create winning submissions
Discover where there is potential for change, and help everyone easily understand what’s involved and why.
Collate site information in one place
Communicate complex spatial arrangements
Speed up the planning process
Speed up planning conversations
Strengthen relationships
Create winning submissions
Reduce guesswork and unwanted costs – make the right decisions for the right outcomes, faster.
Appraise site capacity and viability, faster
Save time and costs through collaboration
Reduce planning uncertainties; increase buy-in
Speed up the planning process with better informed decisions
Sell or lease earlier to realise profits sooner
Understand designs and plans with ease, and make decisions with clarity to benefit your city and your communities.
Make the best possible decisions, quicker
Collate site, scheme and planning information in one place
Standardise decision-making
Have informed and transparent conversations
Improve how you consult on policies and plans
Understand the cumulative effects of planning changes

In your words

“We’re bringing in architects and our clients and different consultants in one room and we’re viewing the drawing, the architecture and the massing through VU.CITY.”
Charlotte Orrell
Senior Planner at Iceni Projects
"The digitisation of planning as outlined in the Whitepaper presents an exciting step in speeding up the planning process and improving engagement with communities. We are already working with VU.CITY and some of our local authority partners to be a leader in digital consultation in line with the ambitions outlined in the new government Whitepaper."
VU.CITY logo
David Bloy
Planning Director - British Land
"VU.CITY gives us the full visual story in a matter of seconds."
VU.CITY logo
Paul Finch
Editor - Architects Journal
"VU.CITY provided a valuable resource on our work for Southwark Charities for an emerging scheme along Blackfriars Road in central London where, working with Fathom Architects, we were able to test different versions in context, have live discussions, and conclude the best approach."
VU.CITY logo
Rosa Gonzalez
Consultant, Landscape, Townscape & VIA - Turley
"VU.CITY allows us to convey ideas when physical engagement is not possible, assisting the decision-making process in a way in which all stakeholders can relate to the proposal and its impact in the surroundings."
VU.CITY logo
Rosa Gonzalez
Consultant, Landscape, Townscape & VIA - Turley

Get your Free 7-Day Trial

VU.CITY is all yours to try out. Let your imagination run free in designing, planning and seeing an entire city develop right before your eyes. 

No download. No ties. No credit card required. 

See for yourself why leading architects, developers and planners across the UK and Ireland trust VU.CITY to help them understand projects in context and bring everyone, everywhere together.

If you are a student please fill in our free student licence form.