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Over ten years ago our Founder and CEO, Dan, worked as a Planning Policy Officer spending months on administrative work, chasing out-of-date documents, juggling endless email threads and switching between multiple systems. His team's time was constantly diverted from applying their passion and expertise to tackle the big challenges of housing, climate and sustainable development. Inspired to help planners make the most of their skills and experience, Dan set out to found Urban Intelligence.
Today, PlaceMaker is the digital Local Plan platform created by the Urban Intelligence team in collaboration with councils across the UK. It replaces the fragmented processes planners face, with a single source of up-to-date evidence, so they can spend less time on paperwork and more time shaping sustainable, thriving communities through their Local Plan.
As well as providing an off the shelf product, we work with councils to innovate and expand the capabilities of PlaceMaker through research and development. From co-designing new features to bespoke analysis, we're supporting councils to get the most out of their data and understand their places better than ever before.
"Having access to this pool of resources has been an amazing education and helped us move forward in digital local plan making. It has enabled us to think through what a 'digital local plan' really means and the different ways we can achieve that."
- Kathy Verlander, Senior Planning Project Officer, Newcastle City Council
As Government continues to encourage the adoption of digital processes for strategic and local plan development, we're equipping planners for an evolving planning system. We work with Government through PropTech challenges and funding programmes, to equip councils with the best tools for digital planning.
Whether your council is a keen innovator or at the very beginning of your digital planning journey, join us in shaping the future of planning.
Dan is a planning technologist with experience working in both the public and private sectors of property and planning. He is passionate about transforming the planning system into an effective ecosystem that is data-driven and future-orientated.
Josh is responsible for ensuring the products that we create at Urban Intelligence provide real value to users. This involves understanding users needs, and communicating these needs to the technical members of the team.
Ex-NASA (cool, we know) Janosch is our in-house data wizard. He is responsible for creating the algorithms that allow us to be at the cutting-edge of our mission.
Can is an expert in the use of geospatial data science. He is currently completing a PhD at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara focussing on Transport Modelling.
Josh brings experience of working across architecture, urban design and planning in both the public and private sector. He works with our users to understand their needs and develop solutions to new challenges.
Katy drives the vision and roadmap for our digital planning tools, working with cross-functional teams to create innovative solutions for planners. With a BSc in Geography and an MSc in Data Science, she combines a curiosity about places with strong technical expertise. Her user-centred approach helps build products that empower better decision-making across the planning system.
With a master's degree in Data Science and Analytics, Alex thrives on understanding novel problems and using statistics and data to solve them. With experience working with clients to establish feasible data solutions, he helps to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical solutions.
Blending her background of Human Geography and planning with UX design, Mei strives to create accessible and frictionless experiences driven by our users' needs. Her experience in graphic design and branding has also helped to shape the UI brand and products.
Sarah is an experienced marketer with a background in local council communications. She’s passionate about effective client communication, improving user experiences and bridging the gap between councils and technology.
An EY trained Chartered Accountant, Katharine has worked with growing SME businesses for the past 12 years, with particular focus on innovative tech. With expertise in FP&A, processes & controls, finance systems and M&A, along with a commercial and people-centred mindset, she plays an integral part in their business growth and in the delivery of key strategic objectives.
Cat began her journey studying the universe with a degree in astrophysics, before shifting focus to more earthbound challenges in the charity sector. Today, she helps our clients harness their data in ways that work for them - making complex information accessible, usable, and tailored to their needs.
Tom brings combined experience as a QA Engineer and Software Developer, with a background in Cybersecurity. As the first in-house developer at Urban Intelligence, he’s responsible for maintaining and evolving Placemaker, helping shape its future.
Mikael leads the Software Engineering team at Urban Intelligence, focusing on solving real problems using scalable, user-focused technology. With a background in full-stack development and Agile delivery, he works across engineering, product and business functions to streamline processes, improve quality, and deliver value quickly.
Alice combines her background in physical geography with experience working with local authorities and geospatial data to strengthen client support. She works closely with the data science team and clients to identify needs, deliver solutions, and provide proactive support for all PlaceMaker clients.
Josh is responsible for ensuring the products that we create at Urban Intelligence provide real value to users. This involves understanding users needs, and communicating these needs to the technical members of the team.
Ex-NASA (cool, we know) Janosch is our in-house data wizard. He is responsible for creating the algorithms that allow us to be at the cutting-edge of our mission.
Can is an expert in the use of geospatial data science. He is currently completing a PhD at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara focussing on Transport Modelling.
Josh brings experience of working across architecture, urban design and planning in both the public and private sector. He works with our users to understand their needs and develop solutions to new challenges.
Katy drives the vision and roadmap for our digital planning tools, working with cross-functional teams to create innovative solutions for planners. With a BSc in Geography and an MSc in Data Science, she combines a curiosity about places with strong technical expertise. Her user-centred approach helps build products that empower better decision-making across the planning system.
With a master's degree in Data Science and Analytics, Alex thrives on understanding novel problems and using statistics and data to solve them. With experience working with clients to establish feasible data solutions, he helps to bridge the gap between theoretical and practical solutions.
Blending her background of Human Geography and planning with UX design, Mei strives to create accessible and frictionless experiences driven by our users' needs. Her experience in graphic design and branding has also helped to shape the UI brand and products.
Sarah is an experienced marketer with a background in local council communications. She’s passionate about effective client communication, improving user experiences and bridging the gap between councils and technology.
An EY trained Chartered Accountant, Katharine has worked with growing SME businesses for the past 12 years, with particular focus on innovative tech. With expertise in FP&A, processes & controls, finance systems and M&A, along with a commercial and people-centred mindset, she plays an integral part in their business growth and in the delivery of key strategic objectives.
Cat began her journey studying the universe with a degree in astrophysics, before shifting focus to more earthbound challenges in the charity sector. Today, she helps our clients harness their data in ways that work for them - making complex information accessible, usable, and tailored to their needs.
Tom brings combined experience as a QA Engineer and Software Developer, with a background in Cybersecurity. As the first in-house developer at Urban Intelligence, he’s responsible for maintaining and evolving Placemaker, helping shape its future.
Mikael leads the Software Engineering team at Urban Intelligence, focusing on solving real problems using scalable, user-focused technology. With a background in full-stack development and Agile delivery, he works across engineering, product and business functions to streamline processes, improve quality, and deliver value quickly.
Alice combines her background in physical geography with experience working with local authorities and geospatial data to strengthen client support. She works closely with the data science team and clients to identify needs, deliver solutions, and provide proactive support for all PlaceMaker clients.
