The View from the Top: Visualizing Downtown Ann Arbor in Three Dimensions

Abstract

On June 7, 2004, the Downtown Residential Taskforce presented recommendations for increasing residential land use in the downtown to the City Council of the City of Ann Arbor. Some of the policy statements in that document derived support from earlier three-dimensional analysis, using virtual reality models and derivative animations. This article displays the complete chronological unfolding of the models behind a part of this document. Broadly stated, it synthesizes theory and practice: from the academic realm of model creation and the mathematical geography behind that activity, to the real-world arena of policy and decision makers. The maps and models we make can influence the decisions that are made; conversely, the decisions we make can shape the maps and models that are built.