Modeling the 1964–65 World's Fair Site in 3D and Over Time

Based on the executive summary of a Cornell University research report funded by the National Park Service (grant P14AP00278).

The project

The National Park Service gave faculty in Cornell University's Department of City and Regional Planning a grant to test whether 4D geographic information systems (GIS) could help historic preservation professionals care for an important cultural landscape. "4D" here means 3D modeling plus the ability to see and analyze change over time.

The test site was Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York City, home of the 1964–65 World's Fair. Steps have been taken over the years to preserve and revitalize the park, but big questions remain about how to care for its historic assets and landscapes, and its complexity made it a good proving ground. Faculty, graduate and undergraduate students and staff used ESRI's CityEngine to model the park's geography, architecture and landscape and possible future scenarios.

The team was led by principal investigator Jennifer Minner, PhD, with co-principal investigator Jeffrey Chusid.

What came of it

• Web scenes of the park's past, present and possible futures, published on a research blog, A World's Fair Landscape in Time.
• New data: GIS and 3D datasets gathered and combined in new ways, plus new 3D models and spatial datasets, available from the blog or the investigators.
• Use cases: perhaps the most valuable result, a clear account of where 4D technology can strengthen preservation planning.
• A software survey of available 3D and GIS tools, weighing CityEngine's strengths and weaknesses.
• Requirements for software that would better support cultural landscape preservation.
• Several peer-reviewed publications.

The verdict

The team found substantial limits in CityEngine as a 4D GIS. It hopes to spur tools that can join architectural and geographic scales with change over time, serving preservation planning for cultural landscapes and historic districts.

Sources

• National Park Service, "Visualizing the Past, Present, and Future of New York City's 1964-5 World's Fair Site Using 3D GIS and Procedural Modeling," research grant report by Cornell University: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/visualizing-the-past-present-and-future-of-new-york-city-s-1964-5-world-s-fair-site-using-3d-gis-and-procedural-modeling.htm
• The NPS page's aerial photograph of the fair site, which carries no credit, is not reproduced here.
• Words on this page from people and organisations outside the federal government are paraphrased; rewritten in hubnx's own words.