Edinburgh

Edinburgh

VU.CITY Edinburgh saves time and money for anyone involved in its design, planning and development.

Being able to show proposals clearly and in context in our accurate, immersive 3D model of Edinburgh helps de-risk projects through a more inclusive design and planning process.

#N/Asq km
MODELLED TO 15CM ACCURACY
746,658
TREES, ACCURATE TO HEIGHT & CANOPY
137,816
Buildings
sq km
MODELLED TO 15CM ACCURACY
TREES, ACCURATE TO HEIGHT & CANOPY
Buildings

With its beautiful green and historic environment, and thriving economy, Edinburgh is one of the best cities in the world in which to live, work and study. It is a city committed to change.

Edinburgh has created a Local Development Plan (LDP) – City Plan 2030 – that will set out the strategy for proposals and policies to shape the development of the city over the next 10 years at least. It addresses issues such as affordable housing in the capital and makes a commitment to building 20,000 low-cost homes over the next 10 years. Digitisation of planning and design will be crucial to this becoming a reality, especially with the need to consider the city’s many key views, such as Calton Hill, and the implications of visual impact. Being able to assess project feasibility at an early stage, and work out factors such as density and capacity, saves time, costs and headaches for all stakeholders involved.

The proposed plan will support the Scottish Government’s 20-minute walkable neighbourhood plans and maximise the use of brownfield rather than greenfield land such as with new neighbourhoods at the Forth Waterfront. Using a 3D platform like VU.CITY is invaluable in understanding how to improve the public realm and maximise placemaking.

Users of VU.CITY Edinburgh include CDA Group, Oberlanders, Michael Laird, Morgan McDonnell, 7N Architects and 3DReid who are using the model’s many benefits, from being able to understand and assess a site’s opportunities and challenges, testing refined designs in context, enhancing pre-app conversations and planning submissions, 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 Edinburgh: Highlights

Create, edit and assess massing

Easily test massing to understand design feasibility.

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

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

Assess multiple initial massing options at an early stage and GEA potential quickly with VU.CITY Edinburgh.
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 Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh 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 Edinburgh.
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 Edinburgh.
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 to take stakeholder on the journey of design.

Use an accurate 3D model of Edinburgh 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.

Edinburgh_Hub
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.

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

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

   Data Layers

   Data Layers

Consented Schemes Timeline

   Data Layers

Conservation Areas

   Data Layers

Green Belt

   Data Layers

Listed Buildings

   Data Layers

Special Landscape Areas

   Data Layers

Tree Preservation Orders

   Data Layers

Trees

   Data Layers

Vacant Derelict Land

   Data Layers

World Heritage Sites

   Data Layers

Wards

   Data Layers

Heritage Trees

   Data Layers

Local Nature Reserves

   Data Layers

Proposed Low Emission Zone

   Data Layers

Public Park or Garden

   Data Layers

Scheduled Ancient Monuments

   Data Layers

Special Protection Areas

   Data Layers

Urban Forests

Edinburgh 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
"VU.CITY gives us the full visual story in a matter of seconds."
VU.CITY logo
Paul Finch
Editor - Architects Journal
“Architecture is essentially a 3D discipline, so VU.CITY is effectively showing what is already in an architect’s head in a way that hasn’t been possible before. The platform enables you to immediately understand the cityscape, the context, constraints, daylight, sunlight and the view angles, not just as it is today, but how it will be in the future. That’s incredibly valuable.”
VU.CITY logo
Simon Erridge
Director - Bennetts Associates
"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
“Councils can see, planning officers can see very quickly when they see a development of VU.CITY that it makes sense to them. They really feel like we're not hiding anything from them. Historically, you'd give them five or six views and they'd go, "Oh, you cherry-picked the best ones." And now we can take them through that process and that's helped massively.”
VU.CITY logo
Laurie Handcock
Director - Iceni Projects
"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

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.