A London-based planning technology company whose interactive 3D model of UK cities helps planners, architects and councils see how new buildings would fit.
VU.CITY makes an interactive 3D model of cities that planners, architects, developers and councils use to understand how a new building would sit among its neighbours. Users can switch proposed and already-approved schemes on and off, check sunlight and shadow, test views of protected landmarks and add data such as transport, flood risk or wind. The company's own figures say it covers more than 3,000 square kilometres across the UK and Ireland with models accurate to 15cm. It also has a tool called SiteSolve that uses artificial intelligence to test what could be built on a site.
VU.CITY's stated aim, in its impact report, is to help create cities that are fairer, quicker to plan and better for everyone, through smarter planning decisions. In a 2022 New London Architecture piece, founding director Jason Hawthorne talked about making planning accessible, taking it out of complicated portals and town halls and making it clear for everyone. A 2019 blog by a company data manager said a public app was meant to help close the information gap between the public and professionals. The model was first built for London.
The company is based at 33 Foley Street, London W1W 7TL. Its London model began in the centre of the city and spread out, and the company says it now supports 90 per cent of London planning authorities, with growing use in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Examples named on public pages include Kingston council, which names VU.CITY as its preferred 3D modelling platform, Barking and Dagenham, Haringey and Southampton. Clients named by the company include Foster and Partners, Historic England, Transport for London and Belfast City Council.
On culture, the company shows B Corp certification, which is a third-party badge for businesses that meet standards on people and planet, along with ISO quality, environmental and information security standards. It describes a team built up since 2019 that includes GIS (mapping data) specialists and engineers. We could not find a page describing day-to-day culture, so we have not written one. A named leader on its public pages is chief technology officer Ossian Whiley, and Jason Hawthorne is named as a founding director.
The jobs at a company like this combine geography, architecture, software and customer work. They include 3D modellers, mapping and data specialists, software developers, people who help councils and design teams use the tool, and sales and support staff. If you enjoy maps, games design, computing or how cities change, it shows how those can be turned into a career that helps shape real places. Check the company's website for its current openings.
Website: www.vu.city
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