Council on Vertical Urbanism
| Abbreviation | CVU |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1969 |
| Founder | Lynn S. Beedle |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Purpose | Studies and reports on all aspects of tall buildings and urban design |
| Headquarters | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. (1969–2003) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. (2003–present) |
Region served | International |
| Membership | Over 450,000 individuals |
CTBUH Chair | Steve Watts of alinea Consulting |
Chief Executive Officer | Javier Quintana de Uña |
| Website | verticalurbanism |
The Council on Vertical Urbanism (CVU), formerly known as the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and sustainable urban design. A nonprofit organization based at the Monroe Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States, the CVU announces the title of "The World's Tallest Building" and is widely considered to be an authority on the official height of tall buildings. Its stated mission is to study and report "on all aspects of the planning, design, and construction of tall buildings."
The CVU was founded at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1969 by Lynn S. Beedle, where its office remained until October 2003 when it relocated to the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. On October 6, 2025, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat was renamed and rebranded as the Council on Vertical Urbanism, as part of a broader mandate "to define and steward responsible density in cities worldwide."