From structural design software to analysis technology, there are many technological innovations being used to design urban areas. Following are a few ways city planning relies on software.
People simulation
When designing architectural structures and city spaces, software that can replicate people and crowds is often useful. This software is capable of simulating thousands of people so they can be imported into digital models of city spaces. The simulated agents can act intelligently according to set guidelines.
This technology can be manipulated to meet the needs of the designer. For architects designing a new building or arena that has the potential to host thousands of people, this technology can be used to simulate an evacuation. The crowd can be monitored to see what collisions they come across and how well they can achieve the goal of escaping the building.
When designing a building, it can be useful to use crowd and pedestrian management software to plan for emergency situations. With the rise in terror incidents, the use of crowd simulation and preparing for unlikely situations is more important than ever.
GIS
A geographic information system (GIS) is able to gather data and create useful information for architects and urban planners.
One form of GIS is multilayer mapping. Similar to a density map, this feature allows the user to see a range of measures on one area. For example, potential agricultural land, areas prone to flooding and erodible land can all be visible on one map. This allows urban planners to visualize areas that would not be suitable for building.
This is also useful for planners as it can bring information of previous building permits in the proposed area. The success of potential businesses can be analyzed by measuring their proximity to potential competitors and customers.
BIM
Another useful piece of software for urban planners is BIM. This can simulate the impacts of proposed buildings on environments before they have been built. This technology is becoming more important in the design of smart cities to test out the impact of the building before construction goes ahead.
As with many construction projects, when planners decide to build in one area, they need to consider potential problems. BIM can inform system managers of a wide range of factors. For example, the software could show how deep to dig to avoid crashing into a fiber optic cable.
This type of software can connect different people who are working on the same task too. For example, workers on drainage construction and landscaping can consult the same model to help better inform their decisions.
A look ahead
Software and technology are ever-changing. One of the latest innovations, not used for urban planning yet, is an open-source software that has been developed in New York. It is currently a system that creates a map using data to visualize how people move through cities. Heat spots on the map become more intense when areas are popular.
This concept proposes that a piece of software will be able to tell users how and when a certain area is being used. At the moment, the data is collected from Flickr and Twitter uploads, and this is planned to expand to other social networks.
It’s a believable possibility that in the near future, urban planners will be able to access a platform that tells them which cities are busy at which times. It will also be possible to make comparisons between cities and replicate planning of structures if it has been successful in a city that runs in the same way.
