London

VU.CITY London is being rapidly adopted to address fundamental questions around planning and development: what will a development look like, who will it affect, and how?

Our complete 3D digital model of London is helping everyone in design and the planning process organise, visualise and analyse the potential of a development in the clearest and most accessible way, to make the best decision possible for the capital.

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1,633sq km

MODELLED TO 15CM ACCURACY

10,390,300

TREES, ACCURATE TO HEIGHT & CANOPY

3,300,000

Buildings

VU.CITY London For You

Key Features

Coverage

The Greater London Authority's (GLA) London Plan sets the city’s planning framework with policies relating to the massing, density and height of new developments. These apply across every borough and a 3D digital platform, such as VU.CITY, can demonstrate the much-needed context and impact of every new project in a visual and easily digestible way.

VU.CITY London is the largest, most accurate interactive model available of the capital, helping the built environment make better, faster and more cost-efficient planning and design decisions about the city’s future. VU.CITY London covers the entire 1,619 sq km to 15cm of accuracy, with a combination of functionality and data.

Over 80% of London boroughs already use VU.CITY: improving pre-app through open, transparent conversations about density and height; giving planning submissions and committees better insight on how a scheme will work in context; and allaying anxieties by helping citizens understand a scheme’s impact and merits in public consultations.

Architects such as Foster + Partners, BDP, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, Bennetts Associates and Farrells have also seen the many benefits of using VU.CITY on projects. VU.CITY London has helped them improve communications with clients, win contracts, and create an inclusive narrative with all stakeholders – local authorities, project teams, politicians and communities – on how schemes will work and succeed.

VU.CITY London: Highlights

Create, edit and assess massing

Easily test massing to understand design feasibility.

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Consented Schemes Timeline

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

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 model of London 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 London.

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 London

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.

London View Management Framework

There are some important views across London, from parks and other public spaces that take in important buildings. These important views are visualized in VU.CITY London so you design schemes in these areas with clarity on height restrictions.

Data Layers

Building Age Dates from Colouring London

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Air Pollution Data from 2013

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Air Pollution Data from 2016

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Air Quality Focus Areas

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London Bedrock

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London Boroughs Boundaries

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London Brownfield Sites

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Conservation Areas

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London Planning/London Development Database (LDD) points

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London Flood Risk Areas

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London Green Belt

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London Housing Zones 2016

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London LVMF Extensions

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London Land Registry Query

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Listed Buildings

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London Ofcom Internet speed

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London Opportunity Areas

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PTAL - Public Transport Accessibility Levels

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St Paul's Height Grid

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TfL network

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TfL Cameras

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TfL Emission Zones

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Wimbledon Masterplan

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Savills House Prices 2017

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Energy Performance Certificates

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Scheduled Monuments

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City of London Monument Views Policy Area

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Drug Crime

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Robbery

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Shoplifting crimes

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Southwark Designated Open Spaces

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Southwark District Town Centres

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Southwark Major Town Centres

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Southwark Opportunity Areas

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Theft from person

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Tower of London Local Setting Boundary

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Vehicle crimes

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Annual Average Household Income 2021

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Deprivation Index 2021

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Population Density 2021

London 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

The platform is really helping us communicate those kinds of insights among our consultant team which then enables for a faster and more insightful decision making process.

Jack Hawkins

Development Manager - Londonewcastle

“The Royal Borough of Kingston have been using VU.CITY to review major applications for a few years and it helps us to get a quick understanding of a proposal's height, scale and mass at an early stage which is invaluable in aiding discussions around context, appropriateness and agreeing key views required for visual impact assessment.”

Chloe Clay

Urban Design Manager - Kingston Council

"Historic England supports the use of digital planning tools such as VU.CITY in assessing changes to the historic environment. We regularly use VU.CITY to assist our negotiations with developers, and to support our planning advice, particularly regarding tall building proposals in London."

Alisdair Young

Inspector of Historic Buildings and Areas - Historic England

"VU.CITY is a revolutionary design and masterplanning tool that is changing the way we design for London."

Ken Shuttleworth

Founder - Make

"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."