Services
Has it been a while since you thought about your web site? Do you struggle to update it because only one person can do it?
Do you need a web site for your planning project? Have you had requests to do more than post PDFs online? Now you can get more done in less time.
If you answered yes, then you need someone who can help you plan, visualize, and develop your web site to save you time. Build stronger, more livable communities through web sites that get your plan the attention it deserves.
We offer a comprehensive package that includes web hosting, our content management system, and page design.
- Scalable Web Hosting on our hosting cloud
- An easy-to-use, integrated content management system to update pages, publish news, e-newsletters, commentary, events, press releases and custom sections on your site
- Design elements to match your branding and make your site visually appealing
- Page layout and integration with the content management system
Visualization
You need to create 3D density gradients, streetscape illustrations, and fly through videos for plan documents and community presentations. You need interactivity to explore development options on-the-fly and answer the question what is there from remote locations. Visualization is seeing what is there and what could be there.
- Residential Style Guide illustrates design options for development occurring in historic districts
- Commercial Style Guide shows what a streetscape could look like after signage regulation, changes in zoning, and facade improvements are put into action
- Density gradients can be created using SketchUp Models to show bulk and mass
- SketchUp models can be shown in context using Google Earth fly-through movies
- High resolution photographs can be easily downloaded online using photography zoom technology
Assessing Your Needs
Crystal keeps track of the latest developments in visualization software and can answer your questions about them.
She will not offer just one solution, as a software company rep would, but will present options tailored to your budget. She knows what is available free or at low cost. Her recommendations will reflect what you have now and how it might blend with newer technologies.
She has developed her own comprehensive and unique database to help her quickly sort solutions based on key words. Examples include Electronic Voting, GIS, Visualization, Site Improvements, Web Based Mapping. And she can adjust these quickly to project scale – Block, Corridor, Neighborhood, Zone, City.
“There are so many options,” she says. “University labs, for example, are producing excellent free software that the public generally is not aware of. Planning agencies develop their own software packages but make little effort to market them. I follow these developments and I can help you find the right tools.
Technology Blueprint
Once Crystal has assessed your needs, she will draw up a software blueprint telling you:
- What software you need
- How it will interact with what you have
- Where it is installed and the environment within which it runs
- How to access it and interact with it
- How the information is stored and retrieved
- A schedule for maintenance and backups
- How to anticipate growth, upgrading and system updates
Consultation
Sometimes you don't know where to begin. You might not be clear on what is the most appropriate tool to visualize your plan. You might be putting off updating your web site because no one in-house knows how. You know it is out dated, but you think you can't afford to upgrade it.
Crystal can help you. She can demystify technology. She can provide you with powerful tools that even those without technical skill can use to help stakeholders immediately understand the importance of your plans. Focus on your goals and more clearly define them with a Needs Assessment. Map them out with a Technology Blueprint. Call us today at 312-265-6455 for a free thirty-minute phone consultation.
