U R B A N S T R AT EGY
URBAN STRATEGY
INSTRUMENT for interactive
spatial planning
Urban Strategy accelerates and
improves urban spatial planning
by making information from linked,
high-tech computer models available
interactively. The models simulate
traffic, air quality, noise, external
safety, sustainability, groundwater,
costs and other aspects of our physical surroundings. Urban Strategy has
been developed to the benefit of all
stakeholders in urban planning, including local and provincial authorities,
project developers, consultants as
well as housing associations. Urban
Strategy enables plans to be quickly
developed and optimised, and makes
communication between the specialists appealing.
Urban planning is a constant balancing act.
Mobility and transport are essential from both
an economic and a social perspective but they
have an impact on the quality of our habitat
and on safety. New housing or office development costs time and money. The considerable
complexity that is involved makes quantitative
information indispensable in spatial planning.
Information that must:
−− be cohesive; spatial development always
influences many aspects of our urban
habitat.
−− allow insight so that specialists really do get
the support they need.
−− be interactively accessible; if scenarios
change or alternatives are considered
during the development path, the various
effects have to be seen directly.
A huge challenge for which TNO has developed a unique instrument: Urban Strategy.
How does Urban Strategy work?
Urban Strategy links a central database containing data on the built environment (derived
from local authority datasets) to independent
computer models. The exchange between
these models occurs via a separate communication layer. This enables changes in the
results of the models to be immediately calculated into the other models. Changes can be
made to the database containing data on the
built environment: roads can be closed, house
built, transport routes altered, etc. The effect
of these changes is calculated directly and
made visible in Urban Strategy.
U R B A N S T R AT EGY
Interactive planning
The efficiency of the links between various
models in Urban Strategy ensures that all
effects can be presented within a matter of
seconds or minutes. Then new changes can
be added or alternative scenarios considered.
By way of illustration: locating a new office
building at a particular site results in changes
to the traffic flow due to more commuting,
and these in turn affect the quality of the air
and the level of noise. Group risks are also
changed by the new traffic situation and
the increase in the number of people at and
around the new office building. The speed at
which the effects can be made visible makes
it possible to then close off a road or relocate
the new office building and immediately see
the effects of such a change.
The efficiency does not come at the expense
of the accuracy of the models. Indeed, the
results are more realistic than a sequential
method allows because the models continually take into account the changes made in the
other models. With Urban Strategy, the work
that used to take weeks or even months can
be done in no more than a day or so in total,
and with reliable results. Sharing of knowledge
is optimised among all the stakeholders:
from municipal specialists in environmental
matters to experts in spatial planning and
planning consultants.
Presentation of the results
The results of the computer models in Urban
Strategy are presented in three ways:
−− In a 3D representation of the surroundings
whereby the interaction between the
specialists in an Urban Strategy session is
enhanced.
−− In a 2D map in which the changes in the
urban structure can be incorporated simply.
−− In 1D charts and graphs that provide a clear
overview of the key summary indices and
indicators.
Expert support
Urban Strategy can be used in interactive sessions that bring together the knowledge and
insight of specialists from local and provincial
authorities, project developers, consultants
and housing associations. TNO specialists
enhance the communication in such sessions
by supporting the interpretation of presented
results. TNO also provides support, through
the experience it has gained during the development of Urban Strategy, to users in organising their data-infrastructure, which is crucial
in complex projects like spatial planning.
Acknowledged methods of
calculation
The models in Urban Strategy are in line with
the most recent perceptions and are continually being developed by TNO. Since the models
are also fully transparent and comply with the
demands as stipulated in Dutch and European
regulations, the results of Urban Strategy are
suitable for reports.
InformatiON
Dennis van Lit
T +31 (0) 88 866 33 92
[email protected]
Basten Kolthof
T + 31 (0) 88 866 2898
[email protected]
TNO.NL
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
TNO is an independent innovation organisation that connects people and knowledge
in order to create the innovations that
sustainably boost the competitiveness of
industry and wellbeing of society.
TNO focuses its efforts on seven themes
including Built Environment: TNO works on
transitions and innovations that contribute
to sustainable design and building for
comfortable living in a densely populated
country.
Van Mourik Broekmanweg 6
Postbus 49
2600 AA Delft
tno.nl/urbanstrategy