About CityCAD Technologies

Our story

CityCAD Technologies is a London-based company combining advanced software development with expert urban intelligence consultancy. Since 2005, we've been on a mission to transform how cities are designed and planned.

We began as Holistic City Software, with a vision to bring together 3D spatial modelling and numerical modelling in one place, pioneer 'BIM for cities', and bring the benefits of parametric design to urban planning. The aim was to save time and break down barriers between the professional silos that existing in the urban development process.

In 2011, we introduced the ground-breaking Campus licence, making CityCAD available completely free of charge for academic users.

In 2022, we evolved from Holistic City to CityCAD Technologies, reflecting our expanded mission: not just to build tools, but to partner with those shaping our urban future. Then in 2025, we launched the Urbanist licence, making CityCAD free for all to use, to empower urban designers, unlock innovation and support the creation of liveable and resilient cities around the world.

Our approach

We believe that world-class urban design technology should be accessible to everyone. That's why CityCAD is available as free software under our renewable 2-year Urbanist Licence, democratizing access to industrial-strength analysis and design capabilities.

But software alone doesn't build better cities. Complex urban challenges require expert insight, advanced methodologies, and innovative thinking. That's where our consultancy services come in: from AI-powered generative masterplanning to comprehensive carbon modeling and real estate portfolio optimization, we bring 18 years of deep R&D and proprietary capabilities to tackle the problems that matter most.

Why we're different

We're not a traditional software company that also does consulting. We're urban intelligence specialists who have also built our own platforms. Our 18 years of R&D in urban modelling means we understand cities, their complexity, their challenges, their opportunities, in ways that generalist software vendors cannot match.

When you work with us, you get:

• Advanced proprietary technology that goes beyond off-the-shelf solutions
• Deep urban expertise from decades of real-world projects and research
• A mission-aligned partner committed to creating successful and liveable cities.

But software alone doesn't build better cities. Complex urban challenges require expert insight, advanced methodologies, and innovative thinking. That's where our consultancy services come in: from AI-powered generative masterplanning to comprehensive carbon modeling and real estate portfolio optimization, we bring 18 years of deep R&D and proprietary capabilities to tackle the problems that matter most.

Impact

With thousands of users across every continent (except Antarctica!), CityCAD has shaped developments from neighbourhood masterplans to city-wide strategic frameworks. Our consultancy work has ranged from rapid site feasibility studies in inner-city sites to optimizing the development of multi-billion-pound real estate portfolios. Every project shares one goal - creating better places for people to live and work.

Join us

Whether you're exploring possibilities for your neighbourhood, or tackling complex problems that need expert guidance, we're here to help you create the liveable cities our world needs.