Using Parametrics to Facilitate Collaborative Urban Design: An Attempt to Overcome some Inherent Dilemmas

Collaborative urban design faces three inherent dilemmas of limitations to time and resources, of barriers to language and communication between professionals and stakeholders, and of the reciprocal nature of the relation between influence and understanding. Parametric design tools may address all of these dilemmas, as they provide a fast way to test different design scenarios and make it possible keep designs open while at the same time allowing for a level of detailing which is high enough to facilitate an understanding of the generic qualities of proposed designs. This is particularly relevant in the context of the urban South which is characterized by high urban growth rates, weak planning systems and modest means. The current state of planning and urban development in Morocco is introduced as a context for discussing collaborative urban design and parametric urban design, and some tentative conclusions are attempted.