{"id":470362,"date":"2021-11-02T19:59:27","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T02:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&#038;p=470362"},"modified":"2022-03-07T20:03:51","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T04:03:51","slug":"urban-design-training-goes-virtual-with-arcgis-pro","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/urban-design-training-goes-virtual-with-arcgis-pro","title":{"rendered":"Urban Design Training Goes Virtual with ArcGIS Pro"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10412,171,476112],"tags":[17662,476392,581,19942,17672],"arcnews_issues":[476352],"class_list":["post-470362","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arcgis-pro","category-education","category-urban-planning","tag-3d","tag-architecture","tag-digital-transformation","tag-e-learning","tag-urban-design","arcnews_issues-fall-2021","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"To continue training employees through the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore\u2019s Urban Redevelopment Authority digitally transformed its courses.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"In Singapore, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is responsible for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/arcgis-urban\/overview\">urban planning<\/a> in the city-state. With the goal of making Singapore a better place to live, work, and play, the URA regularly provides core foundational training to the organization\u2019s planners and architects to give them an in-depth understanding of cutting-edge urban design techniques and sensibilities.\r\n\r\nThis training typically requires participants to collaborate in groups on an urban design project. They\u2019re given a site and a design brief that tasks them with developing a well-considered proposal that accounts for surrounding land use, the streetscape, the area\u2019s heritage value, topography, the environment, transportation networks, and community needs. At the end of the course, teams present their projects for discussion in both 2D and 3D, complete with concept sketches, drawings, and physical models."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":468362,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, meant that the traditional approach to training\u2014which includes in-person workshops and requires teams to build physical models for critiquing\u2014would no longer be viable. By mid-2020, the majority of people in Singapore were working from home. Determined to continue and improve its training program, URA\u2019s training team opted to digitally transform its courses to an online format where participants could collaboratively develop, share, and evaluate their urban design projects. ArcGIS Pro was key to executing this plan."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>ArcGIS Pro Takes On a New Role<\/h2>\r\nTo ensure that the program could continue virtually, members of URA\u2019s training team explored alternatives to their traditional approach. They decided to keep the same course requirements but pivoted to a digital approach. They needed a technology solution that allowed participants to collaborate, incorporated 2D and 3D data, and was easy to implement.\r\n\r\n\u201c[The] capability [of ArcGIS Pro] to work with both 3D and 2D data made it a great choice for us,\u201d said Julian Cheng, executive architect at URA\u2019s Design and Planning Lab. \u201cThere was also no need to specifically deploy additional 3D software to the participants, as ArcGIS Pro was already used and deployed across the organization as our main GIS software.\u201d\r\n\r\nIndeed, what proved vital to the new training program was staff members\u2019 experience in leveraging advanced GIS technology across a range of sophisticated urban planning workflows. When they needed to swiftly transition to remote work, employees could still access URA\u2019s geospatial data from anywhere, anytime they needed it."},{"acf_fc_layout":"quote","image":468382,"text":"[Participants] quickly realized how much more they could do with ArcGIS Pro as opposed to working with physical models alone.","author_name":"Julian Cheng","author_profession_organization":"Executive Architect, Urban Redevelopment Authority\u2019s (URA) Design and Planning Lab"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Having already digitally transformed workflows across the organization in previous years, URA\u2019s training team was familiar with conducting courses virtually and incorporating ArcGIS Pro into the curriculum. Many participants had also used the technology in other analytical training courses in which ArcGIS Pro is taught as the main software."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Digital 3D Models Produce Richer Detail<\/h2>\r\nIn September 2020, the URA training team launched its first virtual urban design course.\r\n\r\nTo begin, participants were brought up to speed on working with 3D models in ArcGIS Pro so they could use it effectively to convey their design ideas. URA also provided participants with an existing 3D digital model of Singapore that they could import into ArcGIS Pro. This helped participants visualize and analyze how their designs would fit into the real world.\r\n\r\n\u201cThey quickly realized how much more they could do with ArcGIS Pro as opposed to working with physical models alone. For example, participants learned how to conduct 3D analyses, such as shade, solar, and viewshed simulations, to test out and explain their urban design proposals in a more visual and data-informed manner,\u201d said Cheng. \u201cBy integrating existing 3D digital models\u2014including those from other platforms\u2014with our 2D GIS datasets and pushing boundaries of other 3D technologies, including [ArcGIS] CityEngine, we were able to enhance our urban planning training and develop new workflows for greater efficiencies and effectiveness.\u201d\r\n\r\nMembers of the training team noticed that by changing from physical models to ArcGIS Pro simulations, participants created design plans richer in detail and more comprehensive than those produced using the previous, more traditional approach."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h2>Virtual Becomes the New Normal<\/h2>\r\nAs of September, URA has conducted two urban design courses remotely. In total, approximately 60 participants have built their 3D designs in ArcGIS Pro and have developed a more comprehensive understanding of urban planning technology."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":468372,"image_position":"right","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The collaborative workflows established through this training program are set to become the norm for future training and urban planning projects at URA. According to Cheng, the training team is in the process of finding more ways to incorporate ArcGIS Pro across courses.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe have conducted three runs of another internal vocational training course virtually, using ArcGIS Pro to build efficiency in the use of spatial data and analytics for urban planning work,\u201d he explained.\r\n\r\nThrough these additional programs, more than 80 participants have done virtual learning at URA in 2020 and 2021.\r\n\r\n\u201cTo facilitate continuous learning, we have also published some self-paced e-Learning content, which we will continue to build up and supplement over time,\u201d said Cheng.\r\n\r\nAs the training team looks toward a postpandemic future, virtual 3D models will continue to be a core aspect of courses that help planners and architects learn to make smart planning decisions.\r\n\r\n\u201cAfter the pandemic, the course will have a mix of virtual as well as in-person sessions to facilitate interactions, discussions, group work, and hands-on activities,\u201d said Cheng. \u201cWe will continue to develop competencies in using ArcGIS Pro\u2014together with other digital tools, such as parametric design and environmental simulation tools\u2014to enhance our work.\u201d\r\n\r\nBy digitally transforming its design courses and conducting this training program remotely, URA can improve the skills of more urban planners and architects throughout Singapore. Those who complete this new method of training will be able to leverage the latest technological capabilities for urban design, including geographic building information modeling (BIM), 3D digital twins, and smart city planning.\r\n\r\nURA\u2019s trailblazing use of modern urban planning technology will ensure that today\u2019s decisions will make Singapore a livable and sustainable city for future generations."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Urban Design Training Goes Virtual with ArcGIS Pro | ArcNews | Fall 2021<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To continue training employees through the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore\u2019s Urban Redevelopment Authority digitally transformed its courses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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