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New Tools for Zoning and <br />Development Visualization <br />By Devin Lavigne, aicv <br />Plans have almost always included figures and photos to explain recommendations <br />and planning concepts, and now zoning ordinances, design guidelines, and other <br />regulatory tools are starting to follow suit. <br />All images by Houseal Lavigne Associates <br />Supporting illustrations, sketches, and <br />photos integrated into these documents can <br />show standards that the text describes, and <br />development visualization can show what <br />our codes strive to foster. Even if you are <br />not a "graphics" person, it is still important <br />to know what today's tools are capable of <br />and build an appreciation for the inclusion <br />of graphics to improve the usefulness of <br />documents that have traditionally been text <br />based. <br />Technological innovations have <br />changed how documents are prepared, <br />printed, packaged, and distributed. In the <br />past these documents would sit on book- <br />shelves in the back offices of city halt or <br />be served online through a static website <br />as pure text, stripped of maps and graph- <br />ics. As our tools, software, and the web <br />evolve, so must our practices, codes, and <br />ordinances. The increased transparency in <br />government and the availability of digital <br />documents has broadened the audience of <br />potential users and readers, and expecta- <br />tions of easy access and user friendliness <br />are at an all -time high. However, in light of <br />all the technological advances in graphics <br />and visualization, and the increased docu- <br />ment accessibility and awareness, many <br />communities and planning professionals <br />struggle with how best to appropriately and <br />effectively utilize these new tools to create <br />better, more user- friendly codes, guide- <br />lines, and ordinances. <br />This article highlights the software and <br />techniques that can provide the imagery to <br />enhance zoning ordinances, explain zoning <br />changes, and highlight the development <br />potential of key sites. It reviews common <br />and attainable software tools, including <br />Google SketchUp, Google Earth, Pictometry, <br />and Adobe Photoshop, and explains how <br />each program can be used independently or <br />together to enrich documents and improve <br />land -use and development regulations. <br />ZONINGPRACT10E 3.12 <br />AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION [page 2 <br />