Imaging Change : The Computer City Model as a Laboratory for Urban Design Research

The use of an extensive and detailed computer model of the city of Bath, UK, as a laboratory for urban design research is discussed. Bath is a small predominantly Georgian historic city that has been designated a World Heritage Site. Examples are drawn from four kinds of work: the representation of Bath's historic growth (including unbuilt plans), the prediction of the urban design impact of individual development ,proposals, the study and development of explicit and implicit urban design 'rules for the form of existing and new development, and the impact on city form and appearance of policy proposals for urban sustainability.