ISPRS Workshop on Service and Application of Spatial Data Infrastructure, XXXVI(4/W6), Oct.14-16, Hangzhou, China 
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theory and method of urban planning (Wu, 2001). Later, some 
others used the item of digital urban planning in their study 
papers or publications, but it was not always the same meaning 
(Liu, 2003; Wang, 2003; Yu, 2004; Cui, 2005). Sometimes it 
refers to urban planning information system, and some times 
refers to urban planning technology. 
The following tree points are the conclusions of literature 
reviewing. First is that the item of digital urban planning is 
related to digital city. Second is that each scholar described one 
aspect of the concept of digital urban planning. Third is that 
there is no common definition of digital urban planning. 
2.2 Definition of Digital Urban Planning 
Supported by the Basal Research Fund of Tsinghua University, 
the theory and method of digital urban planning were studied. 
Based on the literature reviewing and our study on digital city, 
tradition urban planning, and digital urban planning, the 
definition of digital urban planning was worked out as follows. 
Digital Urban Planning is a new kind of urban planning based 
on information infrastructure, spatial data infrastructure, and 
planning and managing system of digital city. During the 
process of digital urban planning, all the basic materials of the 
city are digital information. The purpose of digital urban 
planning is to determine the development goals, urban land use, 
urban spatial pattern, information infrastructure, spatial data 
infrastructure, and other integrated construction project of both 
realistic city and digital city. 
Two key-points need to be considered in the definition of 
digital urban planning. One is that digital urban planning is 
related to digital city. All the planning process is based on 
digital city system, which includes information infrastructure, 
spatial data infrastructure, planning and managing system of 
digital city. And during the whole planning process, digital 
information will be the agent object which makes digital urban 
planning is different from traditional urban planning in all the 
aspects of technical method application, information processing 
procedure, and results expression style. The second key-point 
is that the purpose of digital urban planning determines its 
contents, which not only include the physical and social 
planning related to realistic city, but also include technical and 
information planning related to digital city. Therefore, digital 
urban planning is really refers to the future urban planning 
based on the digital city. And those current urban planning 
which use some kinds of technology, such as GIS and CAD, 
partially based on digital map, and only for physical planning is 
not belong to digital urban planning. 
According to the definition of the digital urban planning, the 
difference and relationship between current traditional urban 
planning and future digital urban planning can be explained as 
two sides. The difference is that digital urban planning will pay 
more attention to digital city by using digital information and 
related analysis model and technical methods. The main 
contents of digital urban planning include physical and social 
planning, as well as technical and information planning. And 
the results will be mostly expressed by digital document, digital 
map, and virtual reality model. The relationship is that, similarly 
to current traditional urban planning, digital urban planning will 
include Master Digital Urban Planning, District Digital Urban 
Planning, and Detailed Digital Urban Planning (which includes 
Digital Regulatory Plan and Digital Site Plan) based on the 
space size of city and planning purpose. 
3. CONTENTS OF DIGITAL URBAN PLANNING 
From the definition above, the contents of digital urban 
planning can be deduced as two aspects. One is Physical and 
Social Planning which is pay more attention to the realistic city, 
while the other is Technical and Information Planning which is 
mostly concern to digital city (refer to Fig. 1). 
Contents of Digital Urban Planning 
Aspect I n. 
s' Aspect II 
/ Physical & Social 
\y Technical & Information's 
/ Planning 
A Planning \ 
Function Division 
Components & Structure | 
\ Spatial Pattern 
/ System Functions / 
\ Physical Infrastructure 
\ / Information Infrastructure / 
\ Urban Land Use 
Y Spatial Database / 
Construction Densityy 
' \. Management System / 
Figure 1. Contents of Digital Urban Planning 
3.1 Physical and Social Planning 
The contents of physical and social planning of digital urban 
planning should not only include the whole contents of current 
urban planning based on the “Procedure of Urban Planning" 
(The Ministry of China Construction, 1991) and the “Detailed 
Implementation Process of Urban Planning ” (The Ministry of 
China Construction, 1995), but also need to be expanded 
according to the development of digital city. 
Taking master digital urban planning as an example, the 
physical and social planning contents should include at least six 
aspects, such as determining essential character, development 
goals, spatial scales, urban land use, spatial distribution, and all 
the physical infrastructure of realistic city. Besides that, because 
of the development of digital city, some issues related to 
material flow, energy flow, population flow, and information 
flow need to be taken into account at the same time. The 
producing and consuming activities of citizens and the living 
and behaviour mode of citizens are all will be changed. And all 
the changing will affect the physical and social planning of 
digital urban planning, which need to be studied in detail. 
3.2 Technical and Information Planning 
The contents of technical and information planning are related 
to and focused on the digital city. Basically, the technical and 
information planning should depend on the existing status and 
development trends of digital city. The development of spatial 
information technology, computer science, internet technology, 
digital communication technology, and database management 
technology are all need to be considered during the digital 
urban planning process. At one time, the economical strength of 
the realistic city and the demands of digital city development 
must be taken into account. The master goals, scales, structures, 
components, and functions of digital city need to be planed in 
general, which include the information infrastructure, spatial 
data infrastructure, and many application management system of 
digital city. And some of the implementary measures need to be 
planed in detail.