{"id":1945,"date":"2022-07-06T12:46:57","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T10:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geograma.com\/2022\/07\/06\/what-is-the-role-of-gis-in-urban-planning-projects\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T11:02:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T10:02:17","slug":"what-is-the-role-of-gis-in-urban-planning-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geograma.com\/en\/blog\/what-is-the-role-of-gis-in-urban-planning-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the role of GIS in urban planning projects?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The creation of tomorrow’s cities cannot be conceived without the participation of <\/span><\/i>Geographic Information Systems or GIS.<\/span><\/i><\/a> These have brought a set of features and possibilities to urban managers that make them much more efficient in their day-to-day work, optimising the results of the projects they work on. If you want to know more about this new approach, we encourage you to read on.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GIS or Geographic Information Systems have arrived to completely change the way in which urban planners approach their projects, providing them with new and very valuable resources and tools to manage and design cities. \n<\/p>\n\n

As we will see, among the most prominent functions of GIS for urban development are data visualisation, geospatial information analysis, <\/span>mapping<\/span><\/a> and modelling.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The GIS makes it quicker and simpler to consult all types of data (topographical, <\/span>economic, <\/span><\/a>social, etc.) so that managers can know the reality of the city better than ever before, identify its needs and act accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

In addition, they allow for the crossing and overlapping of variables and data, making it easier to find relationships that were previously more difficult to identify. \n<\/p>\n\n

Why are GIS necessary for today’s urban management?<\/h2>\n\n

GIS are very necessary in urban planning for one simple reason, and that is that cities do not stop generating data continuously. Even more so now, with the development of <\/span>smart city<\/span><\/a> systems and infrastructures, loaded with sensors, cameras and all kinds of devices for capturing information.<\/span> \n \n\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

A spatial component can be added to all these data, so that municipalities have a very rich and varied information base (census, <\/span>land registry,<\/span><\/a> urban furniture, <\/span>roads<\/span><\/a>, public transport, mobility, lighting, sewerage, waste collection, tax payments, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Therefore, a system is needed that is capable of managing them efficiently, storing, updating and exploiting them properly. \n<\/p>\n\n

In addition, it is also necessary to point out another series of advantages that make GIS essential for urban planning work. On the one hand, they bring interactivity to the information, which makes it easier to understand the territory. \n \n<\/p>\n\n

On the other hand, GIS has taken a great step forward in terms of communication between all parties involved, as it greatly favours the sharing of data among urban planning professionals themselves, and also with the general public, promoting <\/span>citizen participation.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n

\"GIS<\/figure>\n\n

How are GIS used in urban planning projects?<\/h2>\n\n

There are many different ways in which urban planning professionals can take advantage of Geographic Information Systems or GIS. Here is a list of the most important ones: \n<\/p>\n\n