City of Sunnyvale - Urban Simulation Model

The model, which was created using Presagis core tools Creator, a 3D modeler, and Vega, a realtime simulation environment, enables urban planners, city officials and citizens to visualize and evaluate new developments before they are approved for construction.

The simulation allows a citizen or planner to use a mouse or joystick to navigate to any portion of the area - viewing important elements of the redevelopment plan from any eyepoint. This level of interactivity enables design review and fosters consensus building by involving all stakeholders early on in the planning stages of a project.

Presagis created the model for the City of Sunnyvale and Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. Joint Venture is a non-profit regional collaborative established to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in the Silicon Valley region of Northern California. Joint Venture brings people together from business, government, education and the community to identify and to act on regional issues, including urban planning.

The City of Sunnyvale's model is approximately eight city blocks in size and consists of the Town & Country shopping center, the city's historic Murphy Street, a Cal Train Station, the Town Center Regional Mall, and an area identified for future office, retail and hotel development. The project also contains several conceptual models that link these areas together, including a modernized train station, a new parking garage, bus shelters, landscaping, and pedestrian plaza and walkway.

"The City of Sunnyvale and Joint Venture commissioned this simulation, which is a fully interactive, 3D computer model, for public consensus building," said Jon Zucker, urban simulation Product Marketing Manager. "The model fulfills this need by communicating the proposed enhancements to viewers in a real - that is, interactive visual - way."

Project modelers Bill Preskar and Roy Chan completed the model in less than two months. Preskar and Chan utilized digital parcel maps, aerial photographs, site plans and photographs from the city. In addition, a digital camera was used to capture texture images, such as building facades, and "paste" these textures to the 3D models. Chan, also an architect with a master's degree in urban planning, then added more conceptual elements to the model, such as an animated fountain, an outdoor car and virtual people producing an attractive urban scene.

"Originally, the City wanted to use the 3D simulation product as a public consensus building tool for the revitalization plans for downtown. While working with Presagis on several interactive meetings, I realized that the product was much more than a mechanism for displaying these plans," said Katrina Rice, urban planner, City of Sunnyvale, Calif. "During the virtual walk-through of the site, I was able to make design changes to the downtown plans-in essence, utilizing the simulation as a design tool."

Within the urban simulation model, users can choose from three different navigation methods including a fly mode, a walk mode and a fixed path mode for unattended viewing.

"The City of Sunnyvale model is an excellent example of how cities around the country can utilize realtime 3D simulations to represent future growth scenarios in their communities. Illustrating new developments in interactive, realtime 3D is a much more effective media versus traditional methods such as 2D paper maps, site plans and architectural renderings," said a former Director of the Smart Permit Project, Joint Venture Silicon Valley.

The modeling and simulation software implemented by Presagis on behalf of the City of Sunnyvale is proof that this technology is well-positioned to revolutionize city planning.
Director of the Smart Permit Project

Sunnyvale, Calif., located just north of San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a diverse community with a residential population of approximately 131,000. Sunnyvale is an attractive environment in which to work and live due to its location, public safety, and capital environment. Sunnyvale utilizes a unique 10-year operating and capital budget, and a 20-year financial plan that creates tremendous stability in city service delivery. Sunnyvale, home to many high-tech firms, has one of the lowest crime rates for a city of its size, and was recently named the fifth safest city in the United States by Money magazine.

Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network is a non-profit regional collaborative established to enhance the economic vitality and quality of life in Silicon Valley. Joint Venture brings people together from business, government, education, and the community to identify and act on regional issues affecting the Valley. The group defines Silicon Valley as all of Santa Clara County, plus parts of San Mateo, Alameda and Santa Cruz County. Joint Venture's Smart Permit project seeks to transform the community development process through the use of Internet technology and emerging software. The driving force behind the project is a public-private collaboration between representatives from corporations, city agencies, technology companies, and the architectural and construction industries. Smart Permit leverages emerging Internet technologies and the public-private partnership to develop a Silicon Valley-wide approach to community development applications, drawing submittals, permit tracking, issuance of permits, and geographic information systems (GIS).