Zone

After reading this page

• you've learned what zoning is in urban planning
• you've learned how the concept of zoning relates to the Tygron Engine
• you've learned how to add or remove zones from the 3D world
• you've learned how to edit zoning already implemented in the 3D world

File:Zoning1.jpg

What is Zoning?

Zoning is a technique of land-use planning as a tool of urban planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating mapped zones which regulate the use, form, design and compatibility of development. Legally, a zoning plan is usually enacted as a bye-law.

There are a great variety of zoning types, some of which focus on regulating building form and the relation of constructions to the street with mixed-uses, known as form-based, and others with separating land uses, known as use-based.

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On the Zoning Scheme of the General Spatial Plan for the City of Skopje, different urban zoning is represented by different colors.

Zoning in relation to the Tygron Engine

In the Tygron Engine, zoning is an important element that can be used to guide the decision making process of the stakeholders. The stakeholder municipality has the responsibility to ensure the zoning plan is adhered to; each time a construction is planned by any of the stakeholders, the municipality has to verify if the plan complies with the zoning plan, prior to approval of the planned construction. To facilitate negotiations and bottom up participation, the municipality also has the power to change zoning plans. With this power, the municipality can offer other stakeholders approval for permits as trade off for complying with non zoning related objectives, such as less urban heat stress or more water storage in an area.

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Zoning implemented in the Tygron Engine (Bedrijventerrein)

How to add and remove zones in the 3D world

When a game's 3D world is just created in the Tygron Engine's editor, the whole selected game area is assigned as one default zone. When this game area is relatively small, this could work, however, it may be desired to divide the whole, or part of the game area up into multiple smaller zones.

How to add zones to the 3D world

To add new zones to the 3D world, open the Zoning panel in the editor. By right-clicking with the mouse on the field "Zones", on the left side of the Zoning panel, a context menu appears with the option "Add". Selecting this option creates a new entry in the "Zones" field, called "A New Item". Please note that this is still an "empty" zone, since no actual area is assigned yet. (See below:How to change the implemented zoning)

How to add zones to the 3D world:

1. Open the Zoning panel
2. Right-click with mouse on the "Zones" field
3. Select "Add" from the context menu
4. A new (empty) zone is created in the list

Please note that this is still an "empty" zone, since no actual area is assigned yet.

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  Zoning Panel

• Zoning4.jpg

  Adding a zone

How to remove zones from the 3D world

To remove a zone from the list, right-click on the zone that needs to be removed, and select "Delete" from the context menu. An extra message will appear for confirmation, to ensure nothing is deleted by accident.

How to remove zones from the 3D world:

1. Open the Zoning panel
2. Right-click with mouse on the zone to be removed
3. Select "Delete" from the context menu
4. Confirm the removal of the zone on the Confirmation Message

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  Zoning Panel

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  Deleting a zone

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  Confirmation message

How to change the implemented zoning

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  Zoning Panel

Editing a zone occurs on the Zoning panel. Here the following attributes can be changed to a zone:

Zone Name

The Zone name field is the name of a Zone.

The "Name" is reflected in game on the zoning overlay.

In the "Name" field, the zone can be given a more identifying name.

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  Naming a zone

Zone ID Color

The Zone ID Color is reflected in the game on the zoning overlay.

The Zone ID Color is used for assigning different colours to different zones, to enable players to distinguish different zones.

By right-clicking and holding the "ID color" field, a new context menu opens, from where a new identification color for the highlighted zone can be selected.

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  Assigning an ID color to a zone

Draw Area

The assigned Area is reflected in the selected Zone ID color game on the zoning overlay.

The Draw Area is used to assign an area in the 3D World to a specific zone.

To assign an area in the 3D world to a zone, select the "Draw Area" button.

This will open the brush panel you can assign an area to the selected zone.

Please note that it is also possible to overdraw a previously assigned zone.

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  Draw Area button

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  Drawing the zone

Description

The Description field is used for describing the selected zone.

In the "Description" field, a short text describing the zone can be entered. This field is currently still work in progress; for now this text can be used as reference when editing the zoning. In the near future this text is also to show up in game.

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  Description Field

Maximum amount of floors allowed in this zone

To influence the skyline, population density and other urban planning issues, it is possible to set the maximum amount of floors that is allowed in the selected zone. In a densely populated big city, having higher buildings helps creating living and working spaces for the inhabitants. In rural areas or outskirts, preservation of a more natural skyline might be desired.

• Zoning11.jpg

  Setting the allowed amount of floors

Allowed zoning function types

Adding an allowed function to a zone enables players to plan a construction type of this function inside the zone.

The bottom field on the Zoning panel is used to assign allowed functions to the selected zone. Zones can be assigned different functions, usually complementary to eachother; for example housing and shops, but not industry, in the same zone. To add an allowed function to a zone, right click on the field and select "Add" from the context menu:

A new panel appears with categories available for selection. After confirmation of the selection, the category will show up in the list of allowed function/ construction types.

To delete an assigned category, highlight it and right-click. Now select the option "Delete" from the context menu. Of course an extra confirmation panel will appear again, to avoid accidental deletion of categories.

<gallery mode="nolines"> File:zoning12a.jpg|Adding a zoning category File:zoning12b.jpg|Selecting a zoning category File:zoning13.jpg|Deleting a zoning category File:zoning6.jpg|Confirmation message