How our platform is fostering collaboration in urban planning

Urban planning is complex. It’s the magic (and sometimes chaos) that shapes our cities and neighborhoods. Think of it as a giant jigsaw puzzle with moving pieces: balancing the needs of diverse communities, planning for future growth, and ensuring various systems work together seamlessly. With the current housing crisis and the various contributing factors at play, collaboration in urban planning is not just important—it’s essential. At Ratio.City, we are working hard to support collaborative working between diverse teams—planners, policymakers, and developers— to foster the creation of inclusive and innovative urban environments. 

In this blog, we’ll explore why collaboration is important in urban planning and give you a sneak peek at some innovative features we’re rolling out to make collaboration easier and more effective. 

Why collaboration matters in planning 

Planning and design are not done a vacuum. It’s a collective effort, and here’s why that matters: 

Diverse Perspectives are Represented:

Cities are like patchwork quilts, full of different colors, cultures, and stories. To create a city that truly works for everyone, you need to hear from everyone.

Innovation Flourishes:

Ever heard the saying, “Two heads are better than one”? Well, in urban planning, more heads are even better. When people from different fields collaborate, they bring fresh ideas to the table. Mix urban design with the latest tech, and suddenly, you’ve got smart, forward-thinking solutions that make cities better for everyone. 

Buy-in is Achieved: 

Nobody likes feeling left out, especially when it comes to shaping the places they live. Collaborative planning gets everyone on board, building trust, and support. When communities feel heard, they’re more likely to support the changes happening in their neighbourhoods. 

Challenges are Addressed Holistically: 

City problems are like dominos—one wrong move, and they all fall down. Housing, transportation, the environment—they’re all interconnected. Collaborative planning ensures that solutions address the bigger picture, not just isolated issues.

The role of collaboration throughout the planning process 

Collaboration isn’t a one-time deal; it’s a constant thread running through every stage of the planning process. Here’s (high-level) how it works: 

Visioning and Goal Setting: 

Every great plan starts with a vision. Policymakers set the goals, but ideally, it’s the community that helps shape what those goals should look like. Workshops, public consultations, and surveys bring in those crucial voices from the start. 

Data Collection and Analysis:

Let’s talk data (our favorite!). Data drives decisions, however generating, preparing, and gathering it is a team sport. Technologists, GIS experts, local organizations, and more all play a role in ensuring the information is accessible and accurate. This helps in setting the stage for smart planning. 

Scenario Planning: 

What if we built this? What if we changed that? Scenario planning is about exploring the “what ifs” with a team of experts—designers, architects, traffic consultants, etc. They work together to model different futures and choose the best path forward. Have you tried our Develop tool? Or ArcGIS Urban? They’re pretty awesome for this! 

Implementation: 

Turning plans into reality takes a village. Contractors, planners, community leaders—it’s all hands-on deck to bring the vision to life, on time and on budget. 

Monitoring and Adaptation: 

Cities change, and plans need to adapt. Ongoing collaboration helps keep things on track and relevant, adjusting as the city evolves.

Barriers to collaboration

While collaboration happens throughout the entire planning process, our expertise and ability to jump in is focused more on the early stages of things. Ratio.City offers tools for understanding site feasibility and development potential. It is also important to note that collaboration isn’t always smooth sailing. Here are some common hurdles we’ve heard about during our user research:

• Silos Between Disciplines:
  Different sectors sometimes operate like islands, making coordination tough. And let’s be real—everyone’s busy, so finding the right time to sync up isn’t always easy

• Communication Overload:
  With inboxes bursting at the seams, important emails can get lost in the shuffle. Who can claim innocence in sometimes filtering emails into an “I’ll read this later” folder?

• Privacy Concerns: 

  In the world of planning, we know there are numerous file versions created over the duration of a project. Keeping track of who has the latest version, and ensuring confidentiality, is a constant battle. 

Despite these challenges, we’ve heard time and again that collaboration is crucial, and solutions are important.

How technology is transforming collaboration

Technology is the secret sauce in today’s collaboration game. Tools like digital twins, GIS platforms, and online engagement portals are transforming how teams connect and contribute. And we’re tossing our hat into the ring, with the following new features.

Ratio.City’s New Features to Support Collaboration 

1.Teams: Say hello to Teams—a new way to work with others from inside or outside of your organization. 

• Share Files with a Variety of Professionals: Invite teammates from inside or outside your organization and allow them to see the Ratio.City files you are working on. 

• Defined Permissions: Manage control over who sees what with the ability to assign permissions to invited team members. 

• Collaborative Working: With various team members now part of a project, files can be accessed by multiple users at the same time. While one editor makes changes at a time, other team members can watch as massings or files update live.

• File History: No more “Oops!” moments—track changes made to documents and revert to earlier versions if needed.

2. Notifications: Stay in the loop with our new notification system! 

• Notification Hub: See major project updates at a glance, in our new Notifications Hub which sits in the top tool bar. Notifications will link to referenced files when applicable, making them easy to access. 

• Activity Log: Keep tabs on what’s happening and who’s doing what within each of your projects, with a log that summarizes all activity (no more scrolling through long email chains).

Looking ahead 

We understand the term ‘collaboration’ is overused and feels like such a buzzword—but it really is the cornerstone of effective urban planning. By bringing people together, we’re building cities that are not only smart but also resilient and inclusive. As we roll out these new features, we’re excited to see how they’ll help planners, policymakers, designers, and developers work together better than ever.  

At Ratio.City we are keen to continue prioritizing collaboration features in the future. Keep an eye out for the official launch of our Stories tool, where you can comment, tag, and follow presentations in real time.  

Together, we can create cities that will thrive for generations.

Let’s build something great!