1. Slide 1 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 THE EFFECTS OF DECISION-MAKING ON URBAN FORM, A TOOL FOR SUPPORTING PLANNING PROCESSES Matteo Tabasso, Elisa Vitale, Stefano Pensa IN.VI.TO. INteractive VIsualization TOol

2. Slide 2 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 Task Large scale planning and decision making processes supported by interactive tool. Assumption ICT provides nowadays a large amount and typologies of tools which offer the possibility to visualize numerous data and relate them to specific features. Thus in this instrument, no new software has been created. Existing software have been investigated in order to find the best fitting to multidisciplinary processes. CONCEPT

3. Slide 3 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 Rhinoceros ® (Rhino) is a stand-alone, commercial NURBS-based 3-D modeling tool, developed by Robert McNeel & Associates. The software is commonly used for industrial design and architecture. Grasshopper™ is a graphical algorithm editor tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modeling tools. Shapes are created using generative algorithms that can contain different types of input including numeric, textual, audio- visual applications. HUNTER'S POINT SOUTH WATERFRONT PARK PAVILION WEISS/MANFREDI ARCHITECTS 2011 HANGZHOU STADIUM NBBJ and CCDI 2009 VESSEL CHAIR MANI 2011 Usually Rhinoceros and its plug-in Grasshopper are used for industrial and architectural design at the building or furniture scale. CONCEPT

4. Slide 4 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 Definition of the elements affecting the localization of different urban functions. Example for the residential function: NORMATIVE CONSTRAINTS buffer zones of rivers buffer zones of power lines buffer zones of cemeteries... ATTRACTIVE AND REPULSIVE ELEMENTS (indicators) bus stops subway stops railway stations green areas public services motorway exits main streets railway and motorway tracks industrial sites INDICATORS USED

5. Slide 5 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 In order to satisfy the requests of the Municipality, the model was set up to work on the interaction among the different urban functions, such as: residence commerce large distribution public services industry INDICATORS USED

6. Slide 6 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 To define the behaviour of elements that affect the localization of urban functions, two different surveys are realized: One for identifying the behaviour of each indicator on the basis of distance. The second for defining the relative weight of each indicator through the discrete choice method. INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

7. Slide 7 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 RATING OF DISTANCES Each element has an attractive or repulsive effect on considered typology of settlement. This influence is represented through a mathematical function f(d) d = distance describing the positive and negative influence of each indicator. INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

8. Slide 8 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 THE WEIGHT OF INDICATORS The discrete choice survey is used to establish how much each indicator contributes to define the COMPATIBILITY of an area in relation to a specific urban function. The Compatibility (C) of an area is described “point by point” by the distance from each indicator: C= ∑ β i * f i (d) β = weight of each indicator ( i ) d = distance This function combines the effect of all the indicators considered. INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

9. Slide 9 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 A script allows the model to import geo-referenced data in real-time in order to generate specific shapes for each indicator. Then, each feature is associated with one or more functions that describe its behaviour and reproduce the dynamics resulting from the surveys. INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

10. Slide 10 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 Outputs can be displayed in real-time in Rhino environment or on a virtual globe such as Google Earth. The tools can generate multidimensional maps according to input data and actor choices. In order to facilitate the comprehension of the outputs, different kinds of visualization are possible. Gradient MapsVolume Graph MapsSymbolic Comparative MapsQuantitative Maps INPUTS AND OUTPUTS

11. Slide 11 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 The interaction with the model allows to generate outputs in real-time. The interaction regards the management of: the number and type of indicators; the mathematical functions that describe the behaviour of indicators; the weights of each indicator; the project options for development areas and infrastructures; the type of visualization. USEFULNESS IN PRACTICE

12. Slide 12 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 Thank you! For further information: matteo.tabasso@siti.polito.it - stefano.pensa@polito.it

13. Slide 13 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 Generative: grasshopper plug-in allows to generate shapes without standard CAD environment modelling. Shapes are described by a sequence of processing steps. Parametric: mathematical functions and relationships among them define shapes and their behaviours. Dynamic: outputs change in real time according to user choices following the rules of assessment method. Easy to customize: using common scripting languages (Python, C# or VisualBasic). WHY RHINOCEROS AND GRASSHOPPER?

14. Slide 14 COST Action TU 1002 – Edinburgh, 14-15 October 2011 Scale factor: a software, commonly used at building scale (or lower), are adapted to a large area planning process. GIS: potentiality offered by script codes are used to combine Grasshopper with ESRI GIS shapes and data. Assessment Methods: the dynamics of various assessment models such as multi-criteria analysis, surveys, conjoint analysis are visually reproduced. Participatory Processes: the instrument represents a useful tool for participatory planning. WHAT’S NEW WITH RHINO AND GH?