New GIS Infill Product From Solimar

Solimar Research Group

The Solimar Infill Estimation Tool permits users to draw upon a wide variety of data, including both parcel-level and district-level data, and conduct analysis at almost any geographical scale from the parcel level all the way up to the level of the city or the county. It also permits users to test the likely success of different infill strategies.

The core of the tool is parcel-level attribute data and "parcel shapes," but it is not "fixed." Rather, it can evolve in response to changing circumstances and the availability of new datasets. It can be used to identify individual infill parcels, or it can be used in support of a wide variety of public policy analyses. The tool deliberately uses "off-the-shelf" software and operates with a combination of ArcGIS and Microsoft Excel.

The tool includes two separate features:

* The Geographical Screening Feature, which permits users to select parcels within a given geographical area that meet specified criteria; highlights those parcels on either a map or on top of aerial photography; and calculate statistical information about the selected parcels, such as acreage and maximum buildout under current zoning. The feature operates in ArcGIS.

* The Infill Strategy Evaluation Feature, which permits users to test the likely effect of increased densities, financial subsidies, and other changes associated with specific infill strategies to determine how much infill development will be stimulated by the adoption of a specific strategy such as a density bonus, transit-oriented development, mixed-use development along commercial strips, and so forth.

The tool was developed by a team led by Solimar Research Group under an Environmental Justice Grant from Caltrans to the City of Los Angeles. An overview and tutorial is available at www.solimar.org.

Solimar is available on a consulting basis to assist local jurisdictions and others in setting up and using the tool. For more information please contact Bill Fulton ([email protected]) or Ryan Aubry ([email protected]).