Visualization tools and methods in community planning: From freehand sketches to virtual reality

As new computerized visualization tools become available, planning professionals who engage in public participation planning must have a practical understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of each tool in order to choose the ones appropriate for a given context. This article reviews both traditional and computerized visualization tools and attempts to provide a general map for planners as they navigate through the multitude of options that currently exist for visualization in public participation planning. The article is organized around a conceptual model that shows the relationship between eight visualization tools (four traditional and four computerized) and two types of communication media.