Urban planners have become increasingly aware of the importance of implementation in the formulation of policy. This concern has guided on-going efforts of the Urban Simulations and Information Systems Laboratory (SIMLab) at the University of Colorado in developing interactive three-dimensional planning simulations and games. These simulations are used as decision-making tools to help neighbourhood residents to help themselves in making decisions that shape the housing and communities where they live. The present paper describes the conceptual aspects behind the development of these tools, applies the tools to the redevelopment of the Cole neighbourhood in Denver, Colorado, and critiques the limitations of the tools and discusses their future applications.
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