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

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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.

How to add and remove zones in the 3D world

When a game's 3D world is just created in the Tygron Engine, 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. To add new zones to the 3D world, please open the Zoning panel in the editor:

Editor → Editor Menu bar → 3D World → Zoning

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Zoning Panel

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" filed, called "A New Item". Please note that this is still an "empty" zone, since no actual area is assigned yet. (See below: How to edit already existing zones)

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Adding a zone

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

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Deleting a zone

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Confirmation message

How to edit already existing zones

The next step is to assign an area and zoning attributes to the just created (or already existing) zone. Editing a zone occurs on the Zoning panel. The following attributes can be assigned to a zone:

Name

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

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Naming a zone

ID Color

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. These colors are reflected in game on the zoning overlay.

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Assigning an ID color to a zone

Draw Area

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

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Draw Area button

This will open the brush panel and it is now possible to select the designated area for the highlighted zone. Please note that it is possible to overdraw a previously assigned zone.

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Drawing the zone

Description

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 sky line, 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.

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Setting the allowed amount of floors

Allowed zoning function types

The last field on the Zoning panel is used to assign the actually allowed types of constructions in the selected zone. Zones can have all different categories of constructions assigned, usually similar of complementary to each other; for example housing and shops, but not industry, in the same area. To add a category, right click on the field and select "Add" from the context menu:

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Adding a zoning category

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.

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Zoning categories