Resources project

Picture trying to make decisions about your city's future while looking at flat 2D technical drawings and basic white building models. This was the daily reality for the City of Parramatta, where council members were challenged with understanding how new developments would transform their rapidly growing city of 250,000 residents.

With over 30,000 businesses and $2 Billion in building approvals, Parramatta isn't just growing – it's transforming into New South Wales’ second central business district. But this growth brought a unique challenge: how do you help everyone visualise and understand such massive changes?

A subsection of 2cm high-resolution 3D data used by the council for planning, collaboration, and community engagement.

The Challenge

"Previously we were showing internal and external stakeholders simple white building models, and they had a hard time visualising how developments would actually look in the real world," explains Tim Zhao, 3D Program Lead at the City of Parramatta. This disconnect created real problems:

• The need for council members to understand how new buildings would affect their city.
• Giving a tool for residents to picture how their neighbourhoods would change.
• Assisting planning teams to understand development impacts on a human scale.
• How large construction developments could affect local businesses and their operating environment.

Benefits and Results

The City of Parramatta has seen remarkable improvements since implementing Aerometrex's 3D modelling solution. These improvements touch every aspect of their urban planning and community engagement work.

• Decisions Happen Twice as Fast: Development reviews that once took months now wrap up in weeks. Planning teams process applications 30% faster, and council members can make confident decisions in half the time.
• Communities Get Their Voice Heard: "The difference in community meetings is night and day," notes Tim. "When residents can actually see how changes will affect their street, we get much more meaningful feedback. They're no longer fighting against the unknown."
• Better Collaboration, Smarter Planning: Different council teams now speak the same language. Whether they're designing new parks or planning transport routes, everyone works from the same detailed city model. This shared understanding leads to better co-ordination and more effective city planning.

The 3D model gives context to approved & under construction developments happening within the Council.

Looking Forward

"What excites me most is how other teams are starting to see the potential," says Tim. The initial success with urban design and planning has opened doors for broader collaboration across council.

The public domain team is particularly eager to revolutionise tree management. Their vision includes creating a digital bank of every tree species planted within the council, allowing them to track each tree's lifecycle, maintenance needs, and health in real-time through the 3D model. "Instead of digging through spreadsheets, teams will simply click on a tree in the model to access its complete history," Tim explains.

Similar innovations are planned for asset management, especially for council-owned facilities like playgrounds. "We've invested a considerable amount in capturing our entire local government area over nine years," notes Tim. "Now we're focused on making that investment work harder by helping teams manage everything from construction records to maintenance schedules through the 3D platform."

These initiatives reflect the City of Parramatta's commitment to smarter, more efficient city management. As Tim puts it, "Every month we find new ways to use our 3D model. It's not just about planning anymore – it's about building a more connected, better-managed city."