Last week, Autodesk announced that Vancouver would be the 3rd Digital City in a pilot program to create an accurate 3D city-model that incorporates civil engineering data, utility information, building design, and geospatial mapping. Vancouver, a leader in innovative and sustainable urban planning, plans to use the model to aid its green development efforts. The integration of CAD, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and infrastructure information is an exciting advancement that will allow city planners and citizens to simulate the future impacts of city-wide initiatives.

This is an extremely valuable tool when trying to understand the social and environmental impacts of public works projects. Imagine if the traffic department could simulate the changes in traffic flow that would result from adding bike lanes and vegetated corridors to streetscapes. At the same time, environmental planners could see how bike lanes and vegetated corridors would change storm-water runoff volumes and local air quality. The availability of integrated city information should help local governments choose the most cost-effective and valuable city upgrades. “Urban design at a city-wide scale is the next great design challenge. Our Digital City technology provides cities like Vancouver with a comprehensive approach to create a sustainable city that balances economic and engineering demands with environmental and social needs,” said Jay Bhatt, senior vice president, AEC solutions, Autodesk.

Rayna Gordon-Hellman
rayna@medized.com
415-994-6549 office