Agenda - Planning Commission - 02/03/2005

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What is already there, it will be obvious to the viewer. People expect a higher level of exacti- rude and truthfulness from photo-reirnaginl[ than from illustrative drawings. Nevertheless, skillfully executed photo-reimaging requires the skills of an illustrator. The technology/used to create the irna§es may be high te~:h, but the art skills are nothing new:.knowled§e of per-~ spective, color, light, composition, etc, Ph. oto- reimaging is not easy. The illustrator needs art skills; knowied§e of landscaping, architecture, and planning; mastery of diffici~lt computer r graphics applications; and patience to create the imam, es. : It also helps to have a robust database' of photo§raphic imagery to draw on as the'. ~ components of the images. In our office a't: Urban Advantage, we make the extra effort;' of ensurin§ that, in a particular image, Ii§i'll falls on objects in ways that r, ake visual sense; sunti§ht shouldn't appear to be con1- in.~ from different directions for different objects. We also believe that objects should have shadows. Some imaging firms don't belabor the shadows because it is time-con. suming, but we feel that/he image will look more natural and obiects more~grounded if shadows are believable. Of course, each increasing level of realism adds to the time and cost of ittus/ration-photo-reimaging takes anywhere from zo to 6o hours of work. However, the more realistic the pre~-- en/ation, the less citizens will be dependent on their imaginations to understand pro- posed change. Citizens oppose change, good and bad, because of their fear of the unknown. If the comrnunity has no complaints with the present condition of the land* scape, photo-feima§lng may or may not convince it of the need for change. And, if poorly implemented, it may backfire. There should be a clear difference in the desir- ability of the before and after views. That's why photo-reirna~ing is an especially effec- tive [ool for envis[onin§ infill development. Most infill sites are chosen because they are underutilized and blighted. Photo- feima§in3 can show dramatic improvement to grayfield, brownfield, and sprawl strip environments. Jt is important to be aware that photo- reirna~in§ is a form of '~D pho[o-rnonl:age and differs from 3D modeling that allows fly- throu~h mirnations, rhree-dirnensional If the community has nO comPlaints with the present condition of the landscape, ~hot_o-reima§ing may or ~':;a? :3°t. convince it of ::'-: ..~eed fei' cific archii~ectu.ral desi§ns, but constructing whole-built landscapes for planning pur- poses is very labor-intensive. While fly- throug'hs ~re not possible with photo- feima§lng, landscape objects can be turned- on and off in Photoshop, thus displaying or hiding the:components of change. This · allows the;presentation of development phasing arid highlighting of specific inter- .,enrions: for example, public 's~reet phasin§ in of different buildings, the visual testing of different street trees or of differ- ent street geometries, etc. Because ele- rnents of the landscape can be turned off and on, or individually altered, viewers see the ima§ery as more experirnental and amenable to modification. Photo-reimaging can also be used to show not only new things replacing the old, but also old things renewed--old buildings painted, street trees pruned, potholes fixed. Wonderful old neighborhoods are aban- doned because people have difficulty see- lng beyond surface distress. Even new sub- urbs are in danger of dele.flotation if people can't recognize the value of property upkeep. Photo-feima§ins' can show people the fine physical line between "good" and "bad" neighborhoods. ~ Public life is not just about debate, politics, and voting. Progressive public poli- cies--infill development, economic revital- ization, pedestrian-friendly streets, safe routes to school. ~ransit-oriented develop- ZONING.=~;, .-'?:::= 12.o4