Virtual Reality

Aerial view of New York City architecture with augmented reality visualization, blue digital holograms over buildings and skyscrapers

4 Ways to Use AI in Urban Planning and City Design

With the ability to predict trends, engage citizens, enhance resource allocation, and guide decision-making, artificial intelligence has the potential to serve as planners’ very own multi-tool.

February 20, 2024 - ArchDaily

Mexico City

Friday Fun: Touring 12 Famous Museums from Home

Most museums are closed during the pandemic, but you can still visit them virtually from the comfort of your home thanks to Google Arts & Culture.

December 4, 2020 - Travel + Leisure

Pasture land

Happy Cows Use Virtual Reality to Pretend it's Summer

Here's one application of virtual reality we didn't see coming: happy cows and better milk.

November 28, 2019 - CNN

Augmented Reality and Public Art: A New Era Begins Today

People in six global cities will have a chance to sample an ambitious new augmented reality program launched by Apple today.

August 10, 2019 - The Architect's Newspaper

Augmented Reality

Making a Place for Virtual Reality in Planning

As virtual reality technology becomes more accessible, it's time to start considering how immersive virtual experiences could help inform visioning process and design decision-making.

August 15, 2018 - IDEA New Rochelle

Minecraft Model

Real World Lessons From the Virtual World of Minecraft

The popular game Minecraft offers deep lessons what building in the virtual world means in the real world.

August 9, 2018 - Places Journal

Dog Park

All the Reasons to Map a City's Smells

"Smell-mapping" is gaining attention from urban planners, data scientists, and nature conservationists alike.

February 18, 2017 - Citymetric

Austin Texas

Austin Will Use Virtual Reality to Attract Foreign Direct Investment

The city of Austin hopes that virtual reality can connect foreign investors and proposed development projects in need of funding.

November 30, 2016 - Austin Monitor

Toronto Underpass park

Friday Eye Candy: Take a Virtual Reality Tour of Toronto's Underpass Park

The ASLA has rightfully identified virtual reality as a powerful promotional tool for the field of landscape architecture. Soon, we'll all be ditching plan views and offering virtual tours of proposed and completed projects.

November 18, 2016 - American Society Of Landscape Architects

Virtual Reality a Game Changer for Real Estate

The New York Times details how virtual reality is expected to change the game of real estate. The possibilities for planners and architects are endless as well.

February 14, 2016 - The New York Times

China Blocks Google Maps, Creates Own Virtual 3D Views

Chinese search engine company Baidu has developed an alternative to Google's (banned in China) 3D view.

March 4, 2011 - Gizmodo

Inchvesting in Detroit

$1 will buy you one square inch of a vacant lot in Detroit, and membership in Jerry Paffendorf's club of "inchvestors." It may sound like a scheme, but Paffendorf calls it a way to network, invest in Detroit, and attract entrepreneurs.

March 10, 2010 - NPR

The Holodeck is Real

Duke's Pratt School of Engineering has created a theater with projections on all four walls plus the ceiling and floor to create an immersive experience not unlike Star Trek's "holodeck" for architects to show clients their work before it is built.

January 28, 2010 - News Observer

Designing A Virtual Public Square

When Sony was preparing to build a virtual meeting space for Playstation 3 users, they took the unusual step of hiring a real-world architect, Kenji Ikemoto.

January 27, 2009 - Business Week

Historic Preservation Through Virtual Reality

By utilizing virtual reality software, students at UC Berkeley are recreating a historic stretch of Oakland, California's 7th Street, a historic hotbed of jazz and blues clubs during the 1940s and '50s.

March 7, 2008 - UC Berkeley

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Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The best of the Internet—since 2002.

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Planning apps for a brave new world.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.