About the project
‘Seen in a long-term historical perspective, city space has always served three vital functions – meeting place, marketplace and connection place. According to the UN, the world population is increasingly moving from rural to urban centers. The best way to promote successful and sustainable regeneration, conservation and place-making is to think about urban design from the start of the planning and development process.
An architect or an urban planner plays an important role in developing plans and programs for the use of land understanding underlying social, geographical, cultural, economic, and other such aspects. They use planning to create communities, accommodate growth, or revitalize physical facilities in towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.
Individual
User Research, Interaction Design, Visual Design, Prototyping & Testing
Duration
9 Weeks
The Problem
State of Architect and Urban Planners
They often find themselves in a complex situation where they have to deal with different design parameters, authorities, and data simultaneously. They spend a lot of time in pre-design stage as compared to design and post-design.
Correlating rules, research & design at every stage
It becomes difficult for architects to find out correlations, dependencies, and analyze concerning the bylaws of that region in such a short period.
To much to explore in such a short time
Planning solutions due to lack of time and budget while exploring, experimenting, iterating, and analyzing large scale projects becomes a huge task.
The Goal
Architects are masters, they need an assistive tool to evaluate impacts and correlations between multiple parameters. It is very crucial to have a holistic understanding of a project. Make informed decisions and comparisons between options and dimensions. They need a tool to optimize discovery and concentrate on their area of expertise.
Design Brief
Simplify, assist, and accelerate the design process for urban planners and architects such that they are more productive as well as collaborative in developing and designing cities of the future.
Will Artificial Intelligence help us become
better Architects?
Proposed Process
With AI’s ability to process and analyse the limitless amount of data, an architect could very easily focus on researching and testing several concepts & ideas at the same time with ease.
Data Collection
• Add data on existing context and surveys
• Use preset generated in past or make a new data set
• GIS mapped data files
• CAD coordinate data files
Design Constraints
• Add design constraints as per design by laws and regulations
• Site limitations, Building constraints, Development Zones
• Building height limits, Setbacks
• Building Areas/ FSI
• Zoning Area %
Layout Insights
• Explore iterations (3D Models & Visualisation Graphs)
• Sort by design preferences
• Share with team
• Area ratings and performance
Layout Compare
• Feasibility Studies - Compare iterations
• Layout overlay
• Highlights and areas of concern
Modify Reorganise
Adaptive Reorganise
• Landuse refine
• Road layouts
• Zonning
• Impact Study
Parametric
• Edit parameters
• Change Constraints
Visualise
Reconstruct
• Tools to draw, add, subtract, measure modify adaptively
• Comment and share
Environmental Analysis
• Parametric Analysis
• Visual styles
• Real time analysis
Impact Analysis & Share
• Impact on adjacent sites and proposed infrastructure in and around
• Real time effects
Analysis Reports
• Data Visualise 2D/3D
• Architectural drawings
Overall Interface Elements
Try prototype
Research
Secondary Research
What is Urban Planning?
Urban planning is a technical and political process concerned with the development and design of land use and the built environment of urban areas
3 Scales of urban planning
Region
• City
• Town
Neighbourhood
• District
• Corridor
Block
• Street
• Building
Built Environments & Land Use
Urban Design weaves together above elements into a coherent, organised designed structure
Target Audience
The target audience in the design phase are the architects and urban planners. Government authorities, real estate developers, engineers, data scientists, and local communities will also participate in the process of planning.
Architects
Urban planners
Current tools used in Architecture & Planning
Current Tools Limitations
Different softwares are used for different task
Design analysis requires special softwares and modification to the main model
Manually Data entry, gathering and cleaning the data
Some Software need experts and professionals
Making changes to the design is doing the job again
Some plugins required knowledge of algorithms
“Data is the most basic level; Information adds context; Knowledge adds how to use it; Wisdom adds when and why to use it.”
Gu Jifaa, Zhang Lingling, 2014
Standard Urban Planning Process
Legal framework, strategy of urban planning process, organisations and actors
Focus Area
Secondary Research Insights
Loss of data in pre design
Analysing data in feasibility phase is inefficient
Inefficient design consideration
Lack holistic approach to address research data & its integration in planning
Time constrains
Impractical project time lines and budget
Gentrification
Unorganised city planning to keep up with the ever-increasing demands
Complex visualisation
The proposals are not self-explanatory to the community
Miscommunication
Miscommunication between the designer, locals, and the government
Primary Research
15 Architects and 12 Urban planner participated in Focus group interviews
Aim -To Understand the current design process, methods and pain points. Design considerations and needs. How the data is collected and synthesised. How planners develop, propose and communicate.
Where to get the data ?
1. Urban Planning Departments
• GIS coordinator/expert
• Cartographer
• Surveyor
2. Census Dept.
3. NGO
4. Collector Dept.
5. Ward Offices
How is data provided?
The most common general sources for spatial data are:
hard copy maps PDF/images and excel files.
• Aerial photographs
• Remotely-sensed imagery
• Point data
• Samples from surveys
• Existing digital data files
Which softwares/Methods are used?
Softwares used in collecting unstructured data and mapping the structured data
1. Softwares
• Computer Aided Design CAD
• Geographic Information System GIS
• Excel .xls files
• Adobe Suite
2. Instruments
• Remotely-sensed imagery
• Survey Instruments
Data Sample from Development Plan (DP) of Greater Mumbai
Maps with information (Development Plan-Greater Mumbai)
Data Collection Insights
Different offices have different file formats
A CAD file or a GIS file can be requested for Development plan remarks of small plots
Basic surveys are carried out for smaller plots on with special permissions
Primary Research Insights
Finding dependencies
The survey data is updated manually and cannot be linked with any other data
Communication gap
Collaborating within the design team is an issue as each one is working on a different task
Missing dependencies
Planners its difficult to
weave together these elements into a coherent, organized design structure
Doing the job again
Making changes to design in a later phase impact may parameters and revising all related drawing and analysis is very time consuming
Juggling between softwares
Different software is used to carry out various tasks, building models and analysis
Visual clutter
Visualising the analysis reports for the government authorities and local people to understand takes time
Persona
Project Scope
Pre Design
A tool to optimise discovery, evaluate impacts, and correlations between multiple parameters. It is very essential to have a holistic understanding of a project. Make informed decisions and comparisons between options and dimensions.
During Design
An adaptive modification process exploring, experimenting, iterating, analysing and resolving problems at a very initial stage. Improve team collaboration. Real-time visualise environmental impacts.
Post Design
Visualising and collaborating with concerned experts, authorities, and local communities. Future growth, possibilities, and its impact on existing and proposed infrastructure and community.
Proposed Process
Scenarios
Scott an architect and urban planner is leading the team of architects working on a proposed masterplan project in the city of Mumbai at the harbour port near the proposed sea link.
1) He has the data provided by the surveyors and from the Municipal corporation.
2) He has a thorough understanding of the site, rules, and regulations as well as constraints to follow for that particular site.
He has limited time on this fast track project and a small team to work on this project. His aim is to come up with as many possible design options and analyse them thus making informed decisions at the very beginning of the project. Discussing inputs from locals and authorities.
RapitUp
Generate
Explore Iterations
Modify
Analysis & Share
Identity
Usability Test Observations
Satisfaction with the project information flow and process
Concerns about pre design data changes and additions
Combination of two or more layouts can be an option
Addition information and parameters required on screen related to a task
Integration of view only mode
Report analysis template customisation
Need projection for collaboration in office space
Integration with other softwares and render engines if required
Reference
Le Corbusier Documentary - The century of Le Corbusier
http://www.urbanlearning.eu/toolbox/planning-process/
City Planning Technology Invented by MIT - CityScope Mark II
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEH01UvjzD0
Tangible Interactive Matrix for Real-time Computation and 3D Projection Mapping
https://ira.mit.edu/tactile-matrix
Tactile Matrix SDK (Alpha 1.0) - https://ira.mit.edu/sdk
Basic Operation and Troubleshooting - https://ira.mit.edu/quickstart
URBANIZATION AND THE MASS MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE TO CITIES United Nations
https://graylinegroup.com/urbanization-catalyst-overview/
Login Mumbai - Digital inclusive by UDRI
http://www.loginmumbai.org/map.html
URBAN DESIGN RESEARCH INSTITUTE, MUMBAI, INDIA
http://www.udri.org/