CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION

Design exploration capabilities Visualization capabilities “Scoreboard” for performance measures and

scenario evaluation Usability and viability for the technician Usefulness and benefit for broad audience

1. DESIGN EXPLORATION CAPABILITIES Iterative scenario development: design or

plan alternatives can be added, modified. The tested software uses different design

approaches, CityCAD is liner,

CommunityVIZ is iterative

Scenario 1

To

Scenario 2t

1. DESIGN EXPLORATION CAPABILITIES Compare scenario alternatives to existing

landscape, environmentCommunityVIZ uses existing spatial data to create 3D representations of existing conditions

allowing side by side comparison between existing conditions and new scenario/proposals

1. DESIGN EXPLORATION CAPABILITIES Applicable to context of neighborhood-level

design and planning. All programs use 3D modeling software to

augment detailed site-level scenario visualization.Google SketchUp succeeded at providing sufficient detail to demonstrate the character of station and neighborhoodlevel design scenarios

while CityCAD creates scenarios with acceptable detail for early sketch planning.

1. DESIGN EXPLORATION CAPABILITIES Fast performance creating and exploring

design or plan scenarios. CityCAD is a rapid sketch-planning tool

2. VISUALIZATION CAPABILITIES Generate 3-D visualization for land use and

development. Powerful modeling programs have a clear

advantage.

2. VISUALIZATION CAPABILITIES Able to show phased development, change

over time CC

2. VISUALIZATION CAPABILITIES Adequate realism and detail in representing

the landscape.

2. VISUALIZATION CAPABILITIES Demonstrates spatial arrangement, proximity to

amenities. CityCAD’s proximity measurement

3. “SCOREBOARD” FOR PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND SCENARIO EVALUATION Composite scoring of indicators, determined by

users’ goals Envision Tomorrow, although extremely data

hungry, provides nearly limitless impact measures.EnvironmentalEconomic InfrastructureResourcesPlanning MeasuresBy land use or building type

CityCAD & CommunityVIZ are also customizable and comprehensive in impact measures.

3. “SCOREBOARD” FOR PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND SCENARIO EVALUATION Measures and scoring enable comparison of plan

scenariosEnvision Tomorrow and CommunityVIZ allow for

side by side comparison of five scenarios simultaneously.

CityCAD works in a more linear, step-by-step modification process were you see impacts only to what has just been modified or created. It is possible to create scenarios independently of one another and compare that way.

3. “SCOREBOARD” FOR PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND SCENARIO EVALUATION Tool can model land use and produce indicators of

outcomesAll can perform this function at some level, but

Envision Tomorrow’s flexibility, level of detail, and easy of use make it the clear front runner in this category.

CityCAD is the most ‘black box’ in this category, with the calculations based on information about local conditions and internalized formulas, resulting in limited capacity for modification.

3. “SCOREBOARD” FOR PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND SCENARIO EVALUATION Tool can model fiscal and infrastructure impacts

and outcomes . Infrastructure:

Envision and works on assumptions about infrastructure based on land use.

CommunityVIZ and CityCAD can calculate construction and maintenance costs as they relate directly to the street/road type.

Fiscal:Envision tomorrow has the finest level of detail

in this category, assessing fiscal impacts down to the building level.