An Electronic tool for Urban Design Analysis

Architects and urban designers are increasingly using computers in their attempt to improve decision making in urban design. Most existing systems emphasize hard data such as statistics, land use data, etc. In recent years with the use of more powerful computers we have seen a greater emphasis on managing visual data. Computer systems are being used to generate urban models and simulations of the various kinds of impact new developments have on the existing cityscape.  This project emphasizes the use of visual data. The purpose of the research has been to develop a computer system for urban designers to use in analyzing urban architectural qualities. Therefore this project focuses on applying traditional methods and theories of urban designers rather than developing new computer techniques.  The traditional methods and theories of urban designers fall within the category which the French theorist Francoise Choay calls Pre-urbanism and Urbanism - the Cultural Model. Theorists within this category include Camillo Sitte, Gordon Cullen, Kevin Lynch, Leon Krier, Aldo Rossi, Michael Trieb, Roger Tranzick and Thiis-Evensen.  This computer system has been developed as a prototype in order to gain experience and knowledge for future development of a large system. Later development will be based upon a vectorized threedimensional model of a whole city using texture mapping and tracing techniques to annotate important architectural features.  The computer system consists of the basic analysis module supplied with a simulation unit and a theory unit. With this analytical tool, analysis is conducted on three different urban scales. The prototype has been developed on the Macintosh computer with SuperCard as the authoring tool.  The computer system was developed as a prototype for Danish Urban Designers and is currently being tested in conjunction with the city of Viborg, Denmark. ( population 55,000). Located in Jutland, Viborg was the capital of Denmark around the year 1000. It now functions as a center for regional government. Viborg was selected as the test site because of its historical core