Integration of Parametric Design Techniques in Preliminary Urban Planning

This thesis explores how parametric design, with its techniques and tools, can support urban planners in the early stages of planning by enabling the generation and evaluation of multiple design scenarios based on municipal regulations and urban principles. Parametric tools use data as input to produce a range of alternatives, allowing planners to test, analyze, and select optimal solutions according to specific criteria and needs. Following a review of the topic, the research focuses on extracting key urban principles such as density, mobility networks, geometry, and space syntax and translating them into parameterized formats suitable for computational design tools. To evaluate the practical value of this approach, a parametric design process is applied to a real urban site in Turin, Italy. This design process does not aim to deliver a final planning solution for the site, but rather to demonstrate the potential of using parameters and parametric tools during the preliminary phase of urban design. The ultimate goal of the thesis is to assess to what extent parametric techniques can enhance and accelerate early-stage urban planning, and to identify their potential benefits and limitations in professional practice. If the approach proves feasible, it may offer a flexible system that can be adapted to other sites and planning contexts.