Using high definition scanners, digital modeling, and Scan-to-BIM software, consultants and non-profits are helping to restore historic structures following natural disasters, and cataloging treasures before calamity strikes.
"Preservation architects are turning to new technologies to help rebuild historic structures damaged by natural disasters," writes Liz McEnaney. "One such project is at the Arts Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, where Holmes Consulting Group (HCG) is using 3D scanning equipment to stabilize, repair, and strengthen the former Canterbury College buildings, a complex of late-19th century Gothic stone masonry structures that were severely damaged by earthquakes in 2010 and 2011."
"Engineers and architects are not only using 3D scanning technology to respond to natural disasters, they are applying these technologies to prepare for future strikes," she adds. The not-for-profit organization CyArk "is creating a free, 3D online library of the world’s cultural heritage sites," including Ancient Thebes, Angkor Wat, Pompeii, and Mesa Verde.
Read the full story: DIGITAL DISASTER RELIEF
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority