Planning and Visioning Tool Platform Developers

Planning and Visioning Tool Platform Developers

We have not attempted to provide links to all the planning and visioning model platforms currently available, but the links below provide a sample of the types of tools available, how they have been utilized, and the basic structures of the models.

• CommunityViz - CommunityViz is advanced yet easy-to-use GIS software designed to help people visualize, analyze, and communicate about the future of their communities. Watch a video overview. Learn more about CommunityViz modeling. Additional information about CommunityViz analysis tools. Refer to CommunityViz case studies. View an introductory slide show. 
• Envision Tomorrow - Envision Tomorrow is a tool for planners to design and test land use decisions at a range of scales. Whether your city or region wants to maximize growth around transit, identify development (and redevelopment) priorities, test and refine regional transportation plans, or evaluate future transportation emissions, Envision Tomorrow can help you examine the possibilities. Read the Envision Tomorrow brochure. View the powerpoint. 
• INDEX - INDEX is an integrated suite of desktop and web-based scenario planning tools for neighborhoods, communities, and regions that allows land use scenarios to be created and evaluated based on 150 performance indicators and how well they compare to community goals and objectives.  Tools include fiscal impact, water use and storm water modeling, 7d transportation characteristics, and CHG estimates. For more information visit the Criterion Planners website and select Our Work, then INDEX software.
• IPlace3s - I-PLACE3S is a software tool that facilitates an integrated land use and transportation planning known as scenario planning. It provides a web-based platform from which to communicate ideas, store data, and analyze potential outcomes. Read a summary of the model. View the Place3s user guide. It is set up to walk a user through a regional Blueprint type project. The software was utilized in the HealthScape report - IPlace3s Health and Climate Enhancements and Their Application in King County. View the I-PLACE3S Decision-Support Tool: Local to Regional Applications powerpoint.
• What If? - What If? is an easy-to-use system that uses readily available GIS data to project future land use patterns and associated population, housing, and employment trends. The model allows public officials and private citizens to examine the likely impacts of policies for controlling urban growth, preserving agricultural land, or expanding public infrastructure in easy-to-understand maps and tables.