Planning process

Specialised software being developed at Abertay University could make a major contribution to the planning process in Scotland by allowing planners to produce 3D models of developments before a single brick is laid.

In one use of the software, dubbed SCity -VT, Abertay University PhD student John Isaacs has been working with Dundee City Council on their plans for the development of the city’s waterfront.

'At the moment, planners use very complicated formulae to work out sustainability, carbon output and traffic levels. This means the whole process can be very confusing for laymen, especially when they are trying to picture what a new development will look like,' Isaacs said.

The SCity -VT software the Abertay researchers have developed is designed to create a 3D model of any new proposals, and shows predicted traffic levels around, as well as the likely carbon dioxide output from, any new developments.

'Using the SCity -VT will help ensure that the development is as environmentally friendly, economically sustainable and acceptable to the local population as possible,' he concluded.