A Grammar-Based Generative Urban Design Tool Considering Topographic Constraints The Case for American Urban Planning

Abstract

This paper explains the development of a generative urban design tool based on shape grammars. The novelty of this tool lies in considering the topographic constraints of the site and generating various alternatives of urban design scenarios accordingly. For the purposes of this research, San Diego has been chosen as an example of a steep city with varied topography that, in consequence, has created distinct urban typologies within the city. With the use of shape grammars, the rules and patterns forming the urban structure of each typology have been decodified. The extracted urban shape grammar is then used as the basis for a generative design tool producing various urban design scenarios considering the limitations and potential of the site's topology. This paper describes the extracted urban shape grammars and how that informs the development of the presented generative urban design tool.