Work with plan scenarios

You can create scenarios based on existing scenarios and edit them if you have editing privileges and an Urban license. You can switch between scenarios to compare different plan proposals and analyze metrics, building space use, and zoning or land-use area.

By default, a plan has two scenarios: the existing conditions and the new (future) conditions. In the existing scenario, parcels cannot be developed. See Develop a parcel to learn more.

Create a scenario

To create a scenario while editing a plan, complete the following steps:

1. Click a plan in the view or find it in the search panel.

   The plan editor opens.

2. Click the Configure scenarios button in the center of the header.

   The Scenarios dialog box appears.

3. Click Add Scenario.
4. Provide a name for the new scenario and choose the scenario on which the new scenario will be based.
5. Click OK.

   The new scenario appears on the Scenarios dialog box.

6. Optionally, click the new scenario and add a description and a context web scene.
7. Click OK.

Configure scenario settings

Everyone who can edit a plan can configure the settings of a scenario. You can configure the following scenario settings:

• Edit the scenario name and description.
• Configure scenario context.
• Configure a scenario elevation layer.
• Lock a scenario.

To configure the settings of a scenario, complete the following steps:

1. Click a plan in the view or find it in the search panel.

   The plan editor opens.

2. Click the Configure scenarios button in the center of the header.

   The Scenarios dialog box appears.

3. Click the scenario for which you want to configure the settings.

   The scenario settings expand.

Configure scenario context

Context layers allow you to import specific layers that provide detail and understanding to the scenario you are viewing or editing. They are not displayed in the overview. You can also configure context layers that display for all scenarios. See Configure plan context to learn more.

To configure scenario context, complete the following steps:.

1. In the Scenario context section of the scenario settings, click the Select scenario context button .

   The Select scenario context dialog box appears.

2. Select a web scene or a scene layer item from the list and click Select.

   The item appears in the Scenario context section.

3. Click OK to close the scenarios dialog box.

   The scenario context is loaded and displayed in the scene.

Note:

• The supported coordinate systems of context layers depend on the coordinate system of the urban model. See Understanding local and global urban models to learn more.
• To switch context layers on or off when you're editing or viewing a plan, click the layer name on the Options menu .
• Pop-ups that you configured in a web scene are shown together with the context layer when the Details side panel is open. To open it, click the Details button at the upper right of the header.

Configure a scenario elevation layer

To add an elevation layer to your scenario, follow the steps below. This layer overrides the elevation configured in the data manager. See Configure an elevation layer to learn more.

1. In the Elevation section of the scenario settings, click the Select scenario elevation button .

   The Select scenario elevation dialog box appears.

2. Select an elevation layer item from the list and click Select.

   The item appears in the Elevation section.

3. Click OK to close the scenarios dialog box.

   The elevation layer is loaded and displayed in the scene.

Note:

When you change the elevation layer, the elevation of previously created buildings is not modified. See Edit building spaces to learn how to edit the elevation of a building to align it with the new elevation layer.

Lock a scenario

Everyone who can edit a plan can lock scenarios in that plan. This prohibits users from accidentally editing a scenario. In the plan editor, the following actions are disabled for locked scenarios:

• Zoning mode (zoning plans)—Editing zoning and overlay boundaries as well as parcel overrides
• Land-use mode (land-use plans)—Editing land-use boundaries and parcel overrides
• Development mode —Editing parcels, applying building types, editing spaces, and demolishing parcels
• Dashboard mode —Editing existing metric values in the existing scenario

Note:

The data of a locked scenario can still be configured in the plan settings by everyone who can edit the plan. See Configure a plan to learn more.

In addition, some actions on the plan level can affect locked scenarios. Everyone who can edit a plan can perform the following actions:

• Edit types, such as zoning, land-use, overlay, space-use, and building
• Edit suitability models
• Edit the dashboard
• Edit metrics in the plan configuration
• Edit the study area

To lock a scenario, complete the following steps:

1. In the scenarios dialog box, find the scenario you want to lock and click the lock button next to the scenario name.
2. Click OK.

   The scenarios dialog box closes.

Change the scenario order

To change the order of the scenarios in the scenario switcher, complete the following steps:

1. Click a plan in the view or find it in the search panel.

   The plan editor opens.

2. Click the Configure scenarios button in the center of the header.

   The Scenarios dialog box appears.

3. Select the scenario you want to reorder and drag it to its new position.

   The scenario is moved to the new location.

4. Click OK.

   The scenario configuration dialog box closes.