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This column is sponsored by ESRI

Livability is the component of sustainability that recognizes the pleasure we gain gain from our surroundings when the factors of economy, society and environment are all considered. Underlying this question of geospatial’s contribution to livability is the issue of design versus management, with CAD tools traditionally used on the design part of the livability question, and geospatial tools traditionally involved on the management side. There’s a growing trend of “convergence” taking place that has these two tool sets coming together. On the one hand, you have CAD firms establishing large-scale city models with comprehensive data sets that overlap the GIS space, and on the other you have GIS companies speaking of adding design functionality.

It’s obvious that there’s a change underway that will greatly alter how these tool sets are used, and what they each contribute to the livability question. I think it’s valuable to take a look at the contribution of geospatial technology as separate from design to point out how these technologies support and enhance the design view. One critical point in this exploration is the need for intelligent models instead of full-scale prototypes — exploring all the benefits and impacts of a design before changes become very costly. While the design tools are becoming more holistic and intelligent, as in buidling information models, the context in which a design will live is an increasingly important consideration, and that perspective is provided by the geospatial toolset.

Community Underpinnings

GIS is the ultimate decision support environment for amassing knowledge about a place. The layering of various site-assessment data gives the clearest possible picture of a site, and the impact that development will have on the surrounding environment. GIS provides a complete catalog of the surroundings, including: environment (botany, biology, ecosystems, etc.), transportation, community demographics, public safety, utilities, services and accessiblity. The amassing of these tangible elements of a community go a long way toward informing the design process, and should always be considered with an increasing eye toward efficiency and sustainability.

The community underpinnings that the geospatial toolset is able to amass are enhanced with design aesthetics and the intagibles that create a sense of place. City livability involves the careful design of urban centers where the population congregates and recreates, including shopping and dining, cultural facilities, green spaces, streetscapes and the mobility of the populace in and around these gathering points. Livability has strong effects on public health as well as population diversity, economic vibrancy and safety and security.

Livability Movements

There’s a growing interest in assessing livability factors in land use planning, with the realization that these factors need to be incorporated into public policy and planning decisions. Planning guidelines are becoming much more concerned with the long-term vibrancy of areas above and beyond the economic benefits of new development. The quality of development is trumping quantity, with the understanding that property values and community cohesiveness benefit from well managed development.

The New Urbanism and Smart Growth initiatives are both concerned with creating mixed-use and walkable communities with access to community elements such as shopping, dining and recreation within close proximity of housing. Typically these developments put much less emphasis on automobile transportation in favor of public transit and pathways for bicycle and pedestrian use. The greater community action within these walkable spaces fosters neighborliness and friendlier and more pleasant surroundings.

Geospatial technology provides very valuable inputs into livability from multiple perspectives. The assessment of workable community forms can be cataloged in geospatial systems, and applied almost as if by formula to help improve the livability of existing spaces or new designs. The growing body of knowledge of designers, planners, engineers and developers can be encapsulated in business rules and assessment tools in order to replicate livability across broad geographies. The geospatial toolset does a good job of informing design, but the potential for large improvements in our urban form rely on much broader application of these tools toward greater livability.

Read what Jeff Thurston has to say on this subject here.


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