Leeds

VU.CITY Leeds helps architects, planners, developers and planning officers assess the real world impact of schemes at an early stage, saving time, costs and headaches for everyone.

A more inclusive and clearer design and planning process - through our immersive and accurate 3D model of Leeds - is helping create smoother and quicker outcomes.

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86sq km

MODELLED TO 15CM ACCURACY

180,326

TREES, ACCURATE TO HEIGHT & CANOPY

8,307

Buildings

sq km

MODELLED TO 15CM ACCURACY

TREES, ACCURATE TO HEIGHT & CANOPY

Buildings

VU.CITY Leeds For You

Key Features

Coverage

With Leeds city centre set to double in size, regeneration projects will lead to thousands of jobs being created and homes built. Major infrastructure schemes such as HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail will enhance Leeds’ connectivity. The opportunities for architects, planners and developers are many – as are the pitfalls.

VU.CITY’s 3D digital platform reduces unnecessary risks: from allowing users to assess consented developments and avoid unnecessary mistakes to importing pre-designed models from external 3D software to resize and reposition in context to know exactly what will work and get approval.

A £20m plan to transform large parts of Leeds city centre has been approved by councillors, which includes turning parts of City Square into a woodland glade with trees and water features set amongst a large pedestrianised area. It is a brilliant achievement and one that all cities can aspire to by using a digital platform to explore placemaking possibilities: VU.CITY’s accurate and relevant city data layers examine key factors, such as conservation areas and designated freenspace, neighbourhood and development areas, to examine a scheme’s feasibility and highlight areas for improvement.

Our Plantech pioneer users of VU.CITY Leeds, including Leeds City Council, 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.

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VU.CITY Leeds: Highlights

Create, edit and assess massing

Easily test massing to understand design feasibility.

See more functionality

Consented Schemes Timeline

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

Test Massing

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

Import Designs

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

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 Leeds.

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.

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 Leeds

Annotate with Tags

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

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

Aire Valley Action Plan

Data Layers

Consented Schemes Timeline

Data Layers

Conservation Areas

Data Layers

Designated Greenspace

Data Layers

Designated Neighbourhood Areas

Data Layers

Development Management Team Areas

Data Layers

Employment Allocations

Data Layers

Housing Allocations

Data Layers

Land Registry Query

Data Layers

Listed Buildings

Data Layers

Plan Panel Areas

Data Layers

Tree Preservation Orders

Data Layers

Trees

Data Layers

Energy Performance Certificates

Data Layers

Annual Average Household Income 2021

Data Layers

Deprivation Index 2021

Data Layers

Population Density 2021

Leeds Coverage

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

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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

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."

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."

Rosa Gonzalez

Consultant, Landscape, Townscape & VIA - Turley

"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."

David Bloy

Planning Director - British Land

"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."

Rosa Gonzalez

Consultant, Landscape, Townscape & VIA - Turley

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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.

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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.

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