Councilmember Kim Suggests 3-D Austin

by: KT

Thu Apr 26, 2007 at 06:00 PM CDT

At the May 3rd Council Meeting, I will be bringing forward a resolution directing the City Manager to start work on a new 3-D model of Austin.

The purpose of this new system is to provide an easy- to-use modeling tool for better planning of our land use for the future.

This will facilitate more effective discussions regarding development standards and specific zoning cases. We will be able to look to the future by compiling the best, most recent data into one 3-D model that everyone can see.

Last year, I made 3D visualization software available to the public at the City's One Stop Shop for development. For more information, please download the presentation (pdf) I made to council that demonstrates the capabilities of this new software.

The presentation is kind of cool to check out. In a city like Austin with a lot of tech savvy users, I can see neighborhood or individuals using such a thing to virtually look out of their backyard at how proposed building plans might change the landscape.

Update: For instance, maybe you could see how this new proposed building design would look downtown from elsewhere in the city.