Toolkit

Envision & ESP

A spatial planning toolkit?

Greening the Greyfields

Envision is a GIS-based, participatory support system, for engaging with the diverse range of stakeholders involved in urban redevelopment. This system was designed to bring wide-ranging land, demographic and market data together, to highlight the redevelopment options, and identify potential redevelopment precincts, across metropolitan centres, with the aim of initiating debate between those involved on how best to manage urban growth (Glackin S. 2012).

ESP (Envision Scenario Planner) consists in a extension of Envision tool, allowing 3D precinct visualisation, feedback mechanisms and redevelopment typologies, transforming the tool into a stakeholder modelling and analysis tool for urban regeneration and community engagement (Glackin S. 2012).

ESP Quick Start Tutorial

Application

New Zealand: Christchurch context – the expectations is that these tools (Envision and ESP) will be able to provide assistance and support to post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction efforts. The project will integrate the application of some of the tools during CRC-SI Project 4.51 (Mod.2) to prioritise redevelopment areas, but the focus given to the application of visualisation and assessment technologies towards community engagement and stakeholders in redevelopment initiatives.

Australia: Victoria’s context – the tools will be tested in the Victorian Dep. of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. There is a great potential for the tools to be used as part of the implementation process of Melbourne metropolitan strategy. Thus, the outcomes should integrate tools and methodologies with direct impact on infill planning in mid ring suburban areas. The focus should be given to: (1) market, community, and land attributes suggesting high residential renewal potential; (2) economic, social, and environmental benefits of precinct based residential renewal and how these may be efficiently communicated to government, community and stakeholders. Furthermore, the process should also focus how residential renewal redevelopment may gain community and market support, and statuary status though (1) the consensus of investigation areas for residential renewal precincts, and (2) the consensus on precinct boundaries of residential renewal projects.

Australia: West Australian context – the tools will be applied to Stirling and Canning, in order to assist local governments in the development of local housing strategies while updating urban planning frameworks. The tools will be used in a strategic level, assessing development potential of urban areas and evaluating housing capacity, while shaping alternative rezoning scenarios. The visualisation and assessment tools in the CRC-SI Project 4.55 will be applied to real redevelopment projects identified by the local governments and the Department of Housing (a third party in the West Australian case). The Brownlie redevelopment precinct, carried out by the Dep. of Housing and the City of Canning should use these tools.

The entire set of developed tools will reside within AURIN where they will be made available to end users, via the web. Once the tools are available at the AURIN portal, government agencies, researchers, developers and consultants can have access to Envision and ESP. However, there is a strong commercialisation potential of these tools beyond AURIN, by providing opportunities to commercial entities.