Public space patterns: Modelling the language of urban space

Abstract

This paper describes the “Public Space Patterns” ontology including its related rule-based model, used as a basic structure of a “City Information Modelling” (CIM). This model was developed within a larger research project aimed at developing a tool for urban planning and design. The main purpose is to provide computer-readable descriptions of Patterns for planning urban space, to make available programming strategies and design options to the participants of the urban development process. The paper shows an ontology implementation of concepts describing the public space and the relationships established by means of transitive properties which allows the system to infer new relations amongst other patterns. The inference mechanism makes available relations that were not previously evident fostering the awareness of underlying implicit patterns.Building TechnologyArchitectur