Bentley OpenCities Planner
Urban planning and design software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is Bentley OpenCities Planner
Bentley OpenCities Planner is an urban planning and design application for creating, visualizing, and evaluating city-scale proposals using 3D context models. It targets urban planners, city agencies, and infrastructure teams that need to communicate scenarios and assess impacts such as massing, land use, and infrastructure changes. The product emphasizes integration with Bentley’s digital twin and engineering ecosystem and supports web-based sharing of planning content for stakeholder review.
City-scale 3D context modeling
The product supports building and managing large-area 3D city context models to evaluate planning scenarios. It is designed for district-to-city scale visualization rather than only building-level modeling. This helps teams compare alternatives in a consistent spatial context and communicate proposals to non-technical stakeholders.
Bentley ecosystem integration
OpenCities Planner aligns with Bentley’s broader infrastructure and digital twin workflows, which can reduce handoffs between planning and engineering teams. It can fit organizations that already standardize on Bentley platforms for civil, transportation, and utilities work. This integration is often a differentiator versus tools that focus primarily on conceptual design without downstream engineering continuity.
Scenario communication and review
The product supports packaging planning scenarios for review and discussion, including visual outputs suitable for public or internal engagement. It is oriented to iterative optioning and comparison rather than single-model authoring. This can streamline stakeholder feedback cycles when multiple alternatives must be presented and tracked.
Bentley-centric workflow dependency
Organizations not using Bentley’s stack may find less value in the product’s strongest integrations. Data exchange with non-Bentley design and GIS environments can require additional configuration and governance. This can increase effort when teams rely on heterogeneous toolchains across consultants and agencies.
Learning curve for new users
City-scale modeling and digital twin concepts typically require training and disciplined data management. Teams transitioning from lighter-weight conceptual tools may need time to establish standards for model structure, attribution, and scenario management. This can slow early-stage adoption for small planning groups.
Licensing and deployment complexity
Enterprise licensing, role-based access, and deployment options can be more complex than simpler desktop-first planning tools. Budgeting and procurement may require coordination across departments when multiple stakeholders need access. This can be a constraint for short-term projects or smaller municipalities.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Virtuoso 12-month subscription (Practitioner / Virtuoso Subscription) | Contact Bentley for pricing (available via Bentley eStore / request quote) | 12-month license with included training ("Keys" for services); auto-renew option; suitable for small/medium organisations; described on product page. |
| Premium Instance (Cloud subscription) | Contact Bentley for pricing / request a price quote | Cloud-hosted instance; supports project Instances, user management; Premium subscriptions required for iModel/BIM import and advanced capabilities. |
| Perpetual License with SELECT (one-time purchase + annual maintenance) | Contact Bentley for pricing / request a quote | One-time license purchase plus annual SELECT maintenance (support, license pooling, exchange rights); enterprise/large-organisation option. |
| Enterprise / Global licensing & Success Plans | Custom pricing | Enterprise offerings listed on product page; contact sales for global pricing, implementation, and success services. |
Seller details
Bentley Systems, Incorporated
Exton, Pennsylvania, USA
1984
Public
https://www.bentley.com/
https://x.com/bentleysystems
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bentley-systems/
