A Virtual Environment Model for Brussels Capital Region’s Future Urban Development Projects: Preliminary Ideations

Abstract

This paper reports on a virtual environment model under development, specifically aimed at the discussion of possible tools and strategies for representation, communication and analysis of the urban development projects prepared for the Brussels Capital Region. In the introduction, certain characteristics of alternative urban development projects prepared for the Region are briefly reviewed and the opportunities provided by the latest information and communication technologies are discussed. Afterwards, the preliminary ideations of the model are provided through different illustrations and the initial implementations related to location-based representation, involving time dimension and augmented reality are presented. In conclusion, application challenges faced during the preliminary phase are reported and future directions are discussed.