Laserfiche WebLink
ing'ful is whether an artist can use the regu- <br /> lations as the basis for illustrating a reason- <br /> able expecta!ion of bur[d-out. Most zoning <br /> documents will color-code land use on a <br /> zoning map, but there is not sufficient infor- <br /> mation to guide an illustrator: How dose to <br /> the sidewalk will the buildings be? Will there <br /> be sidewalks? Will the buildings face the <br /> street? Will there be windows? <br /> Communities are coming to realize the <br />limitations of conventional zoning and are <br />doing more physical planning. But unless <br />people hove a vivid sense of how a pian will <br />improve their lives, aptan can quickly fade <br />from people's memories. Too often physical <br />plans--site plans, design §uide[ines, street <br />cross-sections--have a way of §atherin§ <br />dust. To the extent that our vision of the <br />Future is vivid, visionary plans will stay <br />aiive. <br /> <br /> "Photo-reimagin§ is what brought our <br />planning efforts to life for the public," says <br />Harrison Br[ghi: Rue, director of the Thomas <br />Jefferson Plannin§ District Commission. The <br />commission recently compieted a trans- <br />portation and land-use analysis proposing a <br />more urban future for the area around <br />Hydraulic Road and U.S. ;z9 in Charlottes- <br />ville, Virginia, Photo simulations were com- <br />miss'ioned to visualize different develop- <br />ment scenarios. Because of the plastic <br />nature of photo-reimaging in Photoshop, <br />planning team members could regularly <br />meet as a group to provide input into the <br />eve[uriah of the images. The images were in <br />effect working documents that aided team <br />thinking as well as a final presentation tool <br />of the team's work, However, Rue cautions, <br />"Photo-reima§ing excites people more than <br />technical planning, but it shouldn't be mis- <br />taken for planning. Neighborhood planning <br />analysis is fundamental," <br /> <br /> Photo-reimaging entails transforming an <br />existing.conditions photograph, but the base <br />image can also be a plan. A CAD site pian can <br />be extruded into three dimensions using 3D <br />modeling software. Then an eye-~eve( view can <br />be rendered from within [he 30 model. This <br />virtual view of the plan can then be used as <br />the armature for constructing a photo-realistic <br />simulation of a possible build-out, images cre- <br />ated to depict a new urbanist neighborhood in <br />Las Vegas designed by Caithorpe Associates <br />of Berkeley, California, helped secure focal <br />5upper[ for the proiec[. Convincing people or <br />the [~ossibilitv of ;~ew drDanlsi ;-~vie develoo- <br /> <br />merit in places like Las Vegas is challenging. <br />"Las Vegas offers few built examples of walka- <br />bio town and village centers." says Timothy <br />Rood, a principal of Calthorpe Associates and <br />the project's lead designer. "CAD-based photo <br />simulations made our plan for Carina Homes' <br />Centennial Springs Village comprehensible to <br />average ci,tizens." The city council approved <br />the project unanimously. <br /> <br /> Even once achieved, good urbanism can- <br />not be taken For granted.. People may abhor <br /> <br />Additional examples of before and after <br />visualizations developed by author Steve <br />Price and his firm. Urban Advantage, can be <br />found on the Zoning Practice web pages at <br /> <br />":~:e .' '::, where you can click on the <br /> <br />"enhadcements" (ink beneath the descrip- <br /> <br />auto-oriented sprawl, but they. will neverthe- <br />less allow good waikab, le urbanism to be dis- <br />assembled bit by bit. Photo-reima~ing can <br />help people team to recognize the specific <br />physical differences between the dissipation <br />of sprawl and hospitable urbanism. Seeing a <br />landscape morph from one to the other in <br />PowerPoint or on a website altows comparing' <br />and contrasting, training the eye to under- <br />stand and be vigilant: <br /> Traditional architectural drawin§s-ele- <br />vations and perspective drawings-help peo- <br />ple to understand development proposals, <br />but often require considerable thinking to <br />understand how what [s illustrated fits into <br />the tandscape: Where is this scene located? <br />What is the vantage point? In what direction <br />are we looking? in photo,reimaging, by build- <br />lng onto a base photograph, the viewer better <br />understands how proposed changes relate to <br />[he iandscape. <br /> Changing a photograph imposes a disci- <br />ptine. Scaies and proportions have to con- <br />~ou~ :o [he base r)~otograph. ~f the JJJus~ra[or <br />:ngert--_.~ }uilding thar is out of scaie with <br /> <br />ZONING ;'~ <br />:~ERICAN Pb\t,ININ6 ASSOCIAnON Ip~pe <br /> <br /> <br />