Capacity Building and Training, support, and 3D software for participatory urban planning can save 30-60% of implementation costs.

Consensus-based urban planning – planning which mediates between different needs

How to plan spaces socially, ecologically and economically sustainable – places where people want to live, companies want to do business and the environment is healthy? Urban planning often involves only a small circle of stakeholders, citizens last. Even those who are involved can’t always see the full extent of their decisions – not only visually, but also in terms of the social, environmental and economic consequences. This entails the risk of later discontent and high correction costs. Especially fast developing cities (keyword “construction boom”) face societal and environmental challenges here.

Participation, visualization and impact analysis technologies make URBAN MENUS a solution: It assists consensual multi-stakeholder scenario-building, impact and cost control from the start.

URBAN MENUS allow to

• 3D-visualize the planning area without the need for complete architectural plans,

•  elaborate different visions for one area in a participative way and create a basis for discussions and decisions through integrated impact assessment

• quickly adapt scenarios

Planning visions (urban dreams) can be elaborated along three main interests:

• Ecology and sustainability in a broader sense

• Urbanity and society

• Density and (economic) efficiency

For the assessment, more than hundred detailed parameters each well in line with the EU Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as diversity and gender aspects, are taken into account. Spider and sphere diagrams represent the key results of the holistic analysis.

With an optimal balance of architectural features and broad impact assessment URBAN MENUS is ideal for the pre-planning phase: Where regular planning tools are too focused on in-depth planning and detailed sketches, URBAN MENUS allow for the discussion of principles. Where purely scientific tools just focus on a regional assessment of specific impacts URBAN MENUS also considers architectural and spatial planning parameters. In contrast to the output of mere gaming tools, the URBAN MENUS 3D visualizations are usable for real contexts.

The tool is adaptable to regional specifics (e.g. authentic modelling of public space) and transdisciplinary areas of analysis (e.g. security, local co-factors).

URBAN MENUS is made to meet today’s societal objectives and contribute to the SDGs when shaping living spaces.

With a participation and consensus assisting playful yet scientific approach URBAN MENUS allows to:

• experience planning projects in advance for the first time

• participate in a very early stage of planning

• contribute at eye-level – as professionally educated stakeholder or interested citizen

• make sensory, AI-assisted experiences right from the start

• directly observe the effects of different planning directions from different perspectives and analyze impact   

• change parameters according to individual needs yet with an eye on the big picture

URBAN MENUS offers benefits for

• Urban & regional planners,

• Developers & investors

• Citizens

• Think tanks & decision-makers on all governmental levels

• Research & Education

The URBAN MENUS usage models are flexible

• Web-based demo version for enthusiasts

• Service version for concrete projects

• Urban planning training to gain innovative know-how

• Smart City Platform for networking between planners and Smart City service & product providers