PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Since the EU Green book on the Environment was published, there has been growing concern about the partiality of the vision of how a city functions. Of the many new visions that have emerged, the EU in has particularly emphasized the importance of the Mediterranean City Model, as one of the examples offering greatest potential for developing a sustainable city. According to this hypothesis, a sustainable city is one that saves, a city that is diverse and efficient, and one that bases its competitiveness on its complexity as opposed to spiralling consumption patterns. This vision contains 4 key elements : 1) Compactness, fostering proximity between urban uses and functions, where distances are reduced between different activities, work, school, shopping etc. 2) Diversity, promoting the multi-functionality of space and social mix. 3) Energy Saving, minimizing environmental impact on eco-systems and optimizing use of water and energy cycles and renewable energy sources and 4) Efficiency, harnessing the indigenous resources of the city itself by using less material and energy sources, thus reducing dependence and impact on the environment. At first glance, Barcelona city seems to reflect many of these aspects, with its population diversity and easy mobility, it could therefore provide a good platform for developing new sustainable city models. However, current attempts to evolve such strategies are hampered by the partiality of existing information sources. Any attempt to develop a global vision of the interrelations between the environment, economic and social spheres depends upon the development of sophisticated information tools which can reflect the complexity of the urban eco-system. The current project is an attempt by the Planning Department of the Barcelona Town Council to develop such a tool.
OBJECTIVES
The project aimed to verify the reality of the Mediterranean city as a basis for developing and improving a viable sustainable city model. To this end, it aimed to develop a computer-based global planning tool capable of analysing the city as an urban ecosystem. These tools had to be capable of creating a visual reconstruction of the city, based on currently available municipal information, combined with models on mobility, energy efficiency, noise, etc. In this way , decision-makers could predict the way that given urban indicators would change as a result of action taken in different areas The project was also expected to achieve the following specific objectives: · To generate a model that could be used as a basis for management and decision-making on the environment and urban ecology, using a high-quality 3D or cartographic visualization of the urban situation and the interrelations between the elements that make up the city. · To use a simulation platform for a virtual pre-test of part of the possible steps that might be taken. · To propose a more sustainable city model by drafting a set of basic indicators on the urban situation. · To merge the majority of the urban information with a spatial projection into a single computerized data base. · To convey the basic information through the telematic communication networks.
RESULTS
The SIMU system provided an integrated tool for analyzing the city as an ecosystem and for assessing the impact of municipal strategies in different spheres. Its main value was that it brought together the bulk of significant existing information at a municipal level in its original form (in addition to much supra-municipal information), along with effective tools for their analysis. This brought with it the value-added of fostering on-going cooperation between the majority of the Council´s departments as well as making connections with a large number of external public and private bodies. SIMU´s use of integrated models based on urban ecology and simulation technology enabled the project to outline future urban scenarios in a visible and accessible format. This made the system a particularly effective aid to decision-making and for the development of new strategies for reducing current dysfunctions. The computer solution adopted involved the development of a multi-software system linking up a range of databases and applications (database management, GIS, 2D-3D,Models) and was controlled by a user-friendly interface. In order to achieve maximum personalization and flexibility, original software, developed by the “BRIDGES” project (as part of the Fourth European Union Framework) was used as a communication system, along with basic GIS tools for an open multi-software system. The system integrated data from more than 200 alphanumerical databases, involving over 1,500 variables including demography and social data, urban planning and mobility, urban metabolism and environmental vectors, urban economics and urban facilities, activities and services. The original databases were not altered so as to ensure future maintenance and information was stored a minimum disaggregation level (frequently the plot). A series of partial interactive simulation models were incorporated, which made it possible to work on a pre-defined area and create simulations of real and imaginary scenarios showing the impact of different planning measures. These included: resource consumption and the generation of waste, the water cycle, climate, energy consumption, mobility and accessibility, noise, air pollution and diversity. A graphical and numerical analysis system was developed which combined all the potential of a commercial GIS ( result mapping, network topology analysis) with a range of tools for statistical analysis permitting integrated processing in a user-friendly open environment. In drawing up the system of indicators, the project ensured a close link with the system´s models and variables, enabling continual monitoring of the measures implemented. It also included key indicators proposed by the EU for monitoring sustainability: including diversity, compactness plus a range of indicators linked to the physical, social and economic sphere. In this way,SIMU provided an integrated logical framework, which facilitated organization and intelligibility of each indicator in the general context.
