Get started with ArcGIS Urban

San Francisco's Mission Bay has undergone significant change, evolving from a marshland to a busy industrial center during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. When industrial operations in the mid-20th century declined, a large portion of the area became inactive. Recognizing the area's potential, a significant redevelopment effort was initiated in the late 1990s to revitalize the neighborhood.

Today, Mission Bay is a vibrant and thriving area that is home to the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Mission Bay campus, the Chase Arena basketball stadium, and an assortment of restaurants and businesses. In this tutorial, you'll take the role of a planner tasked with evaluating the feasibility of a new mixed-use development with space for commerce and housing in the neighborhood. You'll sketch out a parcel you're interested in using for the project and evaluate the proposed building under existing zoning regulations. Finally, you'll propose modifications to the zoning code to accommodate higher density housing.

This tutorial was last tested on June 10, 2024.

View final result

Requirements

• ArcGIS Urban (see options for software access)

Set up an urban model

Urban models serve as the foundation for managing projects and plans. Projects are short-term planning activities, such as reviewing a building permitting proposal, while plans are long-term activities that involve modifying zoning and land use. Each project or plan is tied to a study area within a city, town, or region. Within a plan or project, you can design various scenarios to simulate proposed changes. This allows you to explore different options and evaluate their potential impact on the study area.

In this module, you'll create an urban model specifically for the City of San Francisco. This allows you to zoom in and create a plan for your desired study area, the parcel that you want to redevelop.

Set up an urban model

When setting up an urban model, you have two options to choose from. The first option is to use a template that provides 3D buildings and trees, as well as predefined zoning, land use, building types, and space use types. The second option is to create a blank model and customize it by adding your own data.

You'll set up a new urban model using the first option. The template provided simplifies the process of adding and configuring zoning and development data, allowing you to get started quickly.

1. Open ArcGIS Urban. Sign in using your licensed ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have access to ArcGIS Urban or an ArcGIS organizational account, see options for software access.

2. For Create a new model, click Set up.

   

   Note:

   ArcGIS Urban works best on Google Chrome. Read more about supported browsers.

3. For Choose model location, type Mission Bay, San Francisco, California, and press Enter.

   

   A transparent blue box appears over the Mission Bay Area. The extent serves as a visual guide to help you determine the area your urban model will cover. You'll still be able to add additional elements beyond this boundary later if needed. For now, leave the extent as is.

4. For Select basemap and coordinate system, ensure Light gray canvas is selected.

   

   The selection of the basemap depends on your specific needs and preferences. For advanced configuration of an urban model, you can select one of your organization's own basemaps to align your model with your data in similar projections. By doing so, you can ensure that your model is accurately aligned with existing data for consistency throughout your analysis. However, you will also need to provide data for your 3D buildings and trees if you use your own basemap.

   The default Light Gray Canvas basemap—which uses the WGS 1984 Web Mercator Major Auxiliary Sphere – 3857 coordinate system—offers a reliable foundation for your urban model and allows you to use ready-to-use 3D buildings and trees for your model's specified location.

5. For Template, choose the USA Default Template.

   

   The USA Default Template includes predefined zoning, land use, building types, space use types, metrics, and 3D buildings and trees. Each type in the template provides example parameters that can be customized to align with your local codes and regulations, such as restrictions on building height, coverage, and density. While the predefined parameters are based on American planning data, the template can be used for any location globally by configuring the parameters to match your local specifications.

6. Leave the Parcels and Zoning boundaries empty.

   While recommended, parcels and zoning boundaries are not required to create an urban model. If needed, they can be added to the model later. Since this tutorial will focus on a specific parcel, you will learn how to manually draw the parcel boundary for the lot you want to redevelop.

7. Click Create Urban Model.

   

   Setting up the urban model and associated database may take some time. The database includes various layers and tables that are used to organize the content you create and data added to your urban model. For more information, see Data model.

Review model settings and metrics

Once the setup of the urban model is complete, the urban model overview page appears. This page serves as the central hub for managing your urban model and its content, including projects, plans, indicators, and settings. First, you'll familiarize yourself with the elements of the model. Understanding the layout and functionality of this page will help you effectively manage and analyze your urban model.

1. On the Overview page, explore the following elements.

   

   UI Item	Description
   1: Navigation panel	Expand to access the start page, change your view from schematic to realistic, enable underground visualization, and access resources.
   2: Projects	Add a project by sketching a new building or uploading a BIM file to analyze its impact on the surrounding area using tools like shadow cast and line-of-sight analysis.
   3: Plans	Add a plan to compare different zoning or land use scenarios to inform how land areas could be developed over time.
   4: Indicators	Add layers to the urban overview page, such as population density, sea-level rise, energy consumption, or economic activity.
   5: Settings	Manage data, general information, calculation methods, visibility and permissions, and other aspects of the urban model.

2. On the ribbon in the top right corner, open Settings and familiarize yourself with the configuration options.

   Coordinate System is set to WGS 1984 Web Mercator Major Auxiliary Sphere. The coordinate system of the model is determined by the coordinate system of the basemap. Since you selected the default Light Gray Canvas basemap, your model will use its coordinate system.

   While many urban models are built using Web Mercator, cities often have a designated coordinate system for planning and administration that is better suited for their location. To choose a different coordinate system for your urban model, you must choose a basemap created with that coordinate system.

3. Scroll until you see the Schematic Visualization and Realistic Visualization section.

   This visualization data is automatically included with the USA Default template. The urban model automatically includes existing buildings and trees sourced from the global OpenStreetMap basemap in the Schematic Visualization section. As a result, you can visualize your city, town, or region in 3D without the need to provide your own data. Whether you use the USA Default template or create a blank model, you can add visualization layers here at any time.

   

   In addition to schematic layers, you can use the Realistic Visualization section to enable imagery and other realistic details for the scene. An imagery basemap is available and can be enabled in the Navigation panel, allowing you and your audience to familiarize yourselves with recognizable locations when viewing your 3D scenarios. Additionally, you can incorporate your own 3D reality mesh data and add custom elevation layers to enhance the visualization even further.

   

4. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and review what other settings are included for managing the urban model.

   You can learn more about these settings and the ones described above in Manage general settings.

5. On the ribbon, click System of record.

   

   The urban model system of record is where you can add and manage data including parcel and zoning boundaries, as well as zoning, land use, space uses, and other types. This data typically represents official regulations so that you have a baseline to compare against as you make changes.

   When you add a new plan to the urban model, a copy of the relevant information specific to the plan's study area is automatically created for you. This ensures that you have a dedicated version of the data that pertains to your plan. Within this plan, you can edit the boundaries and types information without affecting the urban model's system of record. Any changes made within the plan will only impact that specific plan and will not alter the original data in the urban model. Similarly, any modifications made to the urban model's system of record will not affect the data within your plan. The two remain separate, allowing for independent editing and management while maintaining the integrity of the overall urban model.

6. Under System of record, choose Zoning types. Notice the five zoning types that are included because you selected the USA Default template.

   In ArcGIS Urban, a zoning type refers to a specific combination of zoning code restrictions, such as building height, parcel coverage, and Floor Area Ratio (FAR). Zoning types themselves are not zoning boundaries; instead, they are associated with zoning boundaries that you define or upload.

7. For the SFR zoning type, click the configure button.

   

   In the Zoning type: SFR window, on the Appearance and Parameters tabs, you can adjust each field based on the regulations of your community and the parameters of the model you want to build. The Mission Bay development won't focus on single family housing, so you'll leave this unchanged.

8. Click OK to close the Zoning type: SFR window.
9. Click the Add button.

   

   There are various ways in which you can add your own data. This experience is consistent when adding additional types.

10. On the ribbon, click System of record and explore the other types of planning information for overlays, land use, space use, and building types.

Customize zoning in the urban model

Next, you'll adjust the zoning type parameters within the urban model's system of record. The parameters used, including such as building height, dwelling unit density, and Floor Area Ratio (FAR), will loosely follow the San Francisco Planning Code. This allows you to simulate different design scenarios based on the specific regulations and guidelines of your area. The work you'll be doing in this tutorial will primarily focus on working with zoning types within a plan.

1. On the ribbon, click System of record and choose Zoning types.
2. From the list of prepopulated zoning types, click the configure button for the MXD-65 zoning type.

   

   The Zoning type: MXD-65 window appears.

3. On the Appearance tab, update the following information:
   • For Label, type MB-RA.
   • For Name, type Mission Bay Redevelopment Area.
   • For Custom ID, type MB-RA.

   

4. Click the Parameters tab and update the following information:
   • For Height, type 65ft or 19.8 m.
   • For Dwelling Unit Density, type 140/acres or 345.95/ha.

   

5. Click OK.

   You have now updated the default zoning type for mixed use zoning to specifically represent hypothetical zoning information for San Francisco.

6. Click the Return to overview button to go back to the Overview page.

You've modified the mixed-use zoning type in your urban model based on the specifications of your proposed development. This is the foundation for using the zoning type when setting up a zoning plan and will allow you to begin evaluating the potential development possibilities based on the zoning information you provided, which represents the current zoning regulations.

Configure a zoning plan

Now, it's time to incorporate a zoning plan into your urban model. You'll define the parcel where new housing is needed and use the zoning type established in the first section to generate a massing based on the parameters you provided. This will allow you to evaluate the height of the building and number of residential units that can be constructed based on the existing zoning regulations.

Create a plan

In ArcGIS Urban, you can create zoning and land use plans. You'll walk through the steps of creating a plan and specifying its type as a zoning plan.

1. On the Overview page, on the ribbon, click the Add button and select Plan.

   

2. In the Create plan window, for Name, type Mission Bay Redevelopment Plan.
3. Under Address, type Mission Bay, San Francisco, CA.
4. For Plan type, select Zoning plan.

   Next, you'll define the study area for your zoning plan by drawing it on the map. There's also an Import study area option. This option allows you to add a layer from ArcGIS Online that represents an official plan boundary. In this tutorial, you'll use the option to draw the boundary by hand.

5. On the map, click to add a point at the corner of Mariposa St. and Illinois St.

   

6. Continue adding points to define the study area using the following boundaries. Double-click to complete the area.
   • Mariposa St. as the southern boundary
   • The coastline as the eastern boundary
   • The canal as the northern boundary
   • King St as the western boundary

   

7. Click Create plan.

   

   When the plan editor opens, you'll see two scenarios on the ribbon: Existing conditions and Scenario 1. The Existing conditions scenario will continue to show current conditions as you make edits to Scenario 1. This will allow you to compare proposed changes to current on the ground conditions.

Define and start redeveloping a parcel

Within the new zoning plan, you can begin scenario modeling—simulating and analyzing plausible development based on the study area's underlying zoning.

Since you didn't add any parcel boundaries to the urban model, you'll draw the parcel you want to redevelop by hand. The parcel is located at 385 Channel St, San Francisco, CA, 94158, which is located next to a 16-story condominium on the corner of Mission Bay Blvd N between Channel St and Long Bridge St.

1. On the ribbon, click the Development tab and choose Edit parcels.

   

   The parcel you want to develop is at 385 Channel St, San Francisco, CA 94158, located in the northwest corner of your plan area near the traffic circle.

2. On the Edit parcels toolbar, click the Add button.

   

3. Draw a boundary around the lot at corner of Mission Bay Blvd N between Channel St and Long Bridge St. similar to the one shown below.

   

4. Double-click to complete the boundary, and click OK and Done to close the Edit parcels toolbar.

   Once the parcel is defined, you can add buildings to it.

5. If necessary, click to select the parcel.

   When the parcel is selected, it will be highlighted in bright blue.

6. On the Development side panel, click Modify and choose Apply building type.

   

   A list of building types with assigned space use types appears. This list is prepopulated with information from the USA Default template.

7. Select Mid-Rise Residential w/ Retail.

   

   A default mid-rise residential with retail building type is generated on the selected parcel. The building is generated based on the size of the parcel and building regulation defaults associated with the building type.

8. On the navigation toolbar, click the Tilt the view button to view the building.

   

   Note:

   You can also use the right mouse button to tilt and adjust the view.

9. In the Development side panel, for Planned development on selected parcels, click the name of the building type in blue.

   

   The Building type: Mid-Rise Residential w/Retail window appears. You can see default specifications for what classifies a Mid-Rise Residential w/Retail building type. This information was prepopulated because you chose the USA Default template.

   Building types and space use types in ArcGIS Urban work together to provide a comprehensive understanding of development scenarios. They categorize buildings based on characteristics like floor height and space use, allowing for further classification of functions and activities within those buildings. These classifications help calculate metrics such as CO2 emissions and job creation, which are visible on the scenario dashboard.

   You can use the Create Duplicate button at the bottom of the window to create a copy of this building type. By creating a duplicate, you can make changes to a building type without affecting the original, allowing you to experiment and compare different design options. This feature helps you visualize and analyze the impacts of modifications on the 3D model of the building type.

10. Click OK to close the window.

    A status bar shows the current space use of the building. Based on default settings, the building type has been created with 23.5 percent parking, 70.5 percent residential multi-family, and 5.8 percent retail space.

11. For Space use on selected parcel, click one of the space use types and click More details.

    

12. In the Space use type window, click Metric parameters to review the types of default metrics that are calculated based on values from the USA Default template.

    

    The scenario dashboard will use these metric parameters when modeling the impacts of a zoning change. For more information, see Work with space-use types.

13. Click OK.

    Before making changes to the parcel, you'll choose additional views and layers for the model.

14. Open the Navigation panel. Click Underground and Warning labels to show them in the model.

    

    Now you can see the four floors of underground parking that this building type includes. You'll keep this in mind as you continue developing the parcel.

    

15. In the Development panel, scroll down until you see the Building regulation section.

    This building has 13 floors, covers approximately 20 percent of the parcel, and generates approximately 271 dwelling units. Your building metrics may vary based on size of the parcel you drew. The building height and number of units closely resemble the neighboring building and align with the desired size and number of units the city wants to see.

    To evaluate the impact of zoning on the proposed building, you'll add zoning regulations to the parcel. Then, you can assess whether the current zoning will permit a building with similar characteristics.

16. On the ribbon, click Zoning.

    

17. On the Zoning toolbar, click the Add zoning or overlay boundary button.

    

18. On the map, sketch a boundary using the edges of the plan area with Nelson Rising Ln as the southern border and 4th street as the eastern border.

    

19. Once the boundary is complete, double-click to finish the drawing.

    By default, the new zone is designated as SFR (Single Family Residential).

20. On the Add a new zoning boundary toolbar, click SFR and choose MB-RA from the zoning type drop-down menu, and click OK.

    

21. Click the Development tab.

    

    A warning sign shows over the building, indicating that the building doesn't comply with the underlying zoning. The warning shows that the massing isn't in compliance with current regulations.

22. Click the warning sign over the building.

    A warning message shows more information about how the building is out of compliance, and the parcel is selected so you can make modifications.

23. In the Development panel, click Modify and choose Reapply current building type.

    

    The building is redrawn to be in compliance with the current regulations.

    The warning label disappears, but the scenario dashboard shows only 113 units are generated and the building itself is much smaller than the neighboring structure. This suggests that to construct a building of similar height to the neighboring structure, adjustments to the zoning regulations are necessary to permit increased height allowances.

    

    You've defined a parcel for redevelopment and generated a mixed-use massing using a predefined building type. You then defined a zoning for the parcel to assess how the building type and its related metrics would change based on the current zoning. Because the type of development you want to permit is not in compliance with current zoning, you'll create a new zoning proposal.

Create a zoning proposal

Existing mixed-use zoning doesn't allow for the type of development you want to build. To see other possibilities, you'll apply a proposed rezoning based loosely on the Mission Bay High Density Residential Use District. Although the Mission Bay area is designated as one zone, known as the Mission Bay Redevelopment Area (MBR), use districts are applied to effectively manage development within the region. In this section, you'll adopt a similar approach by considering the potential impact of applying high density residential zoning to our specific parcel.

1. On the ribbon, click Configure scenarios.

   

   The Scenarios window appears.

2. In the Scenarios window, click Add scenario.

   

3. Enter the following parameters and click OK.
   • For Scenario name, type Scenario 2.
   • For Based on, type Scenario 1.

   

4. Click OK to close the Scenario window. On the ribbon, make sure Scenario 2 is active.

   First, you'll use sketch tools to draw the type of building you want to develop.

5. On the ribbon, click the Development button.
6. On the map, click the parcel to select it, and in the Development panel, click the Edit spaces tab.
7. On the map, click the first-floor retail space. In the Development panel, increase the floor height from 15 ft (4.57 m) to 20 ft (6.1 m).

   

   You can edit floors one at a time by selecting them on the map. To make sure you have the correct floor selected, check the Selected spaces section of the Development panel. You'll see Floor number listed.

   Tip:

   Watch the Sketch new buildings video tutorial to learn more about sketching buildings.

   Next, you'll increase the height of the five residential floors.

8. Click the second floor to select it. On the Edit spaces toolbar, click Remove four times so that the building has two floors left, one Retail and one Residential floor.

   

9. Select the remaining residential floor and change its height from 10 ft (3.048 m) to 12 ft (3.658 m).

   Now you'll duplicate this floor to add residential floors with the new height.

10. On the Edit spaces toolbar, click Duplicate floor five times.

    

    Your building now has seven aboveground floors, one retail and six residential.

    

    Now that you have the number of floors you want at the correct heights, you'll edit the building to cover more of the parcel. Selecting the bottom floor and using the Transform tool will allow you to resize the entire building.

11. Select the first floor. On the Edit spaces toolbar, ensure the Transform tool is selected and drag the orange corners to stretch the building toward the edges of the parcel.

    

12. Select the top floor and use the Transform tool to resize it to a smaller square.
13. Duplicate the smaller floor four times to create a tower with five floors.

    

14. On the Edit spaces toolbar, click Done.

    The warning sign reappears over your building. On the right-hand side panel, notice that the height of your building surpasses the allowed 65 ft or 19.8 m height restriction currently specified in the zoning. You'll propose zoning changes that will permit higher building heights.

15. Click the Zoning tab and click the Zoning and overlay types button.

    

    The Zoning types tab opens. It lists all the current zoning types in the scenario.

16. Click Add.

    

    The New zoning type window appears. In this window, you can manually enter the parameter for a new zoning type to be applied to your parcel.

17. On the Appearance tab, enter the following information:
    • For Label, type MB-R-3.
    • For Name, type Mission Bay High Density Residential Use District.
    • For Color, type #fcd578.

    

18. Leave the default settings for Fill as Solid and Outline as None.
19. Click the Parameters tab and enter the following information:
    • For Height, type 165ft or 50.3m.
    • For FAR, type 6.
    • For Coverage, type 90.
    • For Dwelling units density, type 150/acres or 370.66/ha.

    

20. Click OK.

    The new zoning type is added to the Zoning types list.

21. Click the zone on the map, and click Modify on the zone pop-up.

    

22. From the drop-down menu, select MB-R-3 Mission Bay High Density Residential Use District and click OK.

    

    The zoning updates to the proposed Mission Bay High Density Residential Use District.

23. On the ribbon, click the Development tab to review the scenario dashboard. Click the building to select it.

    The updated zoning regulations align with the desired building height and result in an increased number of units. Take note of these changes and consider the possibility of further refinements to optimize the building height and unit count.

    You've proposed updated zoning regulations on the parcel to assess how to accommodate denser growth. The building regulation details displayed on the right side panel show how the building design aligns with the newly implemented zoning type. These details provide valuable information that you can use when working with stakeholders, such as developers and architects, to fine-tune the design and ensure it closely aligns with the desired number of dwelling units and other key distinctions.

In this tutorial, you gained an understanding of the fundamental steps to begin using ArcGIS Urban. You learned how to create an urban model and add a zoning plan. Within the zoning plan, you configured two scenarios to compare potential development for new housing under current regulations and explore the possibilities of higher density through zoning changes.

For more resources on working with ArcGIS Urban, see the tutorial gallery.