SILVER SPRING, MD – Thanks to digital three-dimensional
(3D) mapmaking technologies, the Montgomery County Planning Board is beginning to get a bird’s eye view
– or the neighborhood pedestrian’s perspective – of future development projects
and their potential look when built.
On
Thursday, October 18 at approximately 4 p.m., staff will demonstrate the 3D
technology as part of a presentation about housing density, specifically issues
of infill development. The presentation, using selected digital media –
including 3D modeling – allows planners and decision-makers to analyze neighborhoods
on a micro and macro scale.
“As
the board contemplates proposals that affect the future of communities, the 3D
views show realistic models that aid in our decision-making,” said Planning
Board Chairman Royce Hanson. “We believe this technology will enhance the board’s
deliberations.”
Thursday’s
presentation will show alternative development scenarios on a residential block
in Friendship Heights. Visual models of residential lots with housing developed
at varying scales enable county policy-makers to consider development standards
and design criteria – such as the percentage of house coverage on a lot,
building height and construction materials – as well as roads, streets, trees
and other structures. The presentation
was developed using sophisticated mapping programs, county land records,
conventional two-dimensional historical maps, and record plats and field
surveys of existing homes.
Last
week, the Planning Board saw a 3D demonstration of community features existing
and proposed for White Flint’s future urban design. Those views showed elevated
models of key White Flint structures and lots – buildings, roads, parks, civic
sites – in relation to the nearby city of Rockville and community of Twinbrook
as a visual aid to the White Flint master planning process.
Future
master plan projects in Germantown and Gaithersburg also will use digital tools,
including 3D modeling, to inform the board and, ultimately, the County Council
in their decision-making.
WHO:
Montgomery
County Planning Board
WHAT:
Demonstration
of 3D technology on infill housing
WHEN:
Thursday,
October 18, 2007 – approximately 4 p.m.
WHERE:
Park
and Planning Headquarters
8787
Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, Md.