Via The Verge – 115 blocks of a neighborhood undergoing constant change

“Virtual 3D models of cities are nothing new, but bringing one into the physical world is a bit more challenging. AutoCAD maker Autodesk and creative marketing agency Steelblue did just that, however, with this massive, incredibly detailed 3D print of San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood. All told, it encompases more than 115 city blocks, mainly in the northeast part of San Francisco’s 7-by-7 mile footprint. The map covers a number of the city’s landmarks, including AT&T Park (home of the Giants), the Bay Bridge, and the San Francisco Ferry Building — but perhaps more importantly, it covers what is probably the city’s most rapidly changing area in terms of real estate. The 3D print was designed for real estate developer Tishman Speyer to help the company with urban planning and construction decisions — each block of the map can be picked up and replaced to help developers see exactly what new construction will look like in the context of the neighborhood. In fact, a section of the map shows SOMA not as it is now, but as it’ll look in 2017 when a number of major construction projects are finalized. The model becomes really useful with the addition of a projector mounted over the map: developers can overlay data like street maps, future subway lines, traffic patterns, or simply color outlines to highlight different parts of the city. Right now, that involves a pretty elaborate setup, with the projector mounted high above on the ceiling, but Autodesk and Steelblue also built a translucent prototype, which would allow images to be projected from below the map.”