City Information Modelling (CIM) and Urban Design - Morphological Structure, Design Elements and Programming Classes in CIM

Abstract

In architecture, there was an evolution from Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to Building Information Modelling (BIM), but in urban planning and design, where the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are often used, there is no such analogy. This paper reviews research in typo-morphology, a branch of urban morphology, procedural modelling of buildings and cities and 3D city modelling and visualizations. It present a generic morphological structure of urban elements and discusses them as programming classes in City Information Modelling (CIM) and the application of CIM in urban design practice. Urban design can be understood as art of juxtaposing and arranging urban design elements such as streets, sidewalks, buildings, building façades, landscaping, etc. Designing implies experimentation and play for design elements within design worlds. CIM should integrate procedural modelling, urban morphological research with toolboxes of design elements and rules of combinations. CIM should serve as digital design worlds where urban designers can play with design elements, model and analyse urban scenarios with generative procedures, rules and typological processes.