This year’s VU.CITY Impact Report highlights the momentum we’re building — together with our users — to shape places that are fairer, faster, and better for everyone. From local authorities to architects and developers, we’re enabling smarter planning decisions across the UK. Download the report here.
Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve achieved.
VU.CITY now supports 90% of London planning authorities, with adoption growing fast across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
We’ve modelled 3,579 sq km across 31 cities, helping to visualise over 7,000 consented buildings, mapping 18 million trees, and bringing clarity to a system that can often feel anything but clear.
In just the first half of 2024, nearly half (47%) of all major planning approvals in London involved VU.CITY, a clear sign that digital tools like ours are becoming essential infrastructure for decisions shaping the places we live and work.
This year, 1,857 new users joined the platform, logging 24.8 million interactions in our 3D environment — from early feasibility to policy testing and community consultation.
That adds up to over 59 million seconds of active use — or more than 688 full days of city-shaping powered by VU.CITY.
With an 86% renewal rate, it’s clear users find real value once they get started. And with 52,870 data layers activated across projects, we’re helping professionals cut through complexity with data that actually makes a difference.
2024 saw major upgrades inspired by what users and the sector really need.
We launched SiteSolve in the cloud, making site potential assessments faster and easier, from anywhere. Other updates include a new orthographic mode, autosave, and a greyscale environment to sharpen design focus.
As VU.CITY CTO Ossian Whiley puts it:
“We’re not just building software. We’re creating a shared 4D urban platform — accessible, interoperable, and insight-rich. The next generation of VU.CITY will be faster, more intuitive, and ready to tackle the sector’s biggest challenges.”
This includes addressing the urban data divide. For cities to work better, we need connected, clean, and consistent data, and we’re investing heavily to make that happen.
Innovation in the public sector is a key theme this year. Councils are using VU.CITY to visualise policies, understand capacity, and engage residents more meaningfully.
For example, planners in Haringey used SiteSolve to test site feasibility early on — helping shape their draft Local Plan with speed and confidence.
In Southampton, we helped launch a new 3D Webmap — offering planners and residents a transparent way to explore proposals, policies, and the future shape of their city. It’s a practical response to government calls for digital engagement and planning reform.
At the same time, architects and developers are streamlining feasibility studies, supporting pre-applications, and crafting more compelling design narratives to win planning and stakeholder support.
Our VU.CITY Impact Report 2025 tells the full story, from coverage and usage to innovation and insights. Download the report to see how we’re helping build smarter, fairer, and more sustainable cities, together.