Esri UC Plenary Highlights Honolulu’s Transit-Oriented Development with a 3D Holographic Presentation

Transforming Urban Mobility with Transit-Oriented Development

The City of Honolulu is advancing a major elevated rail initiative designed to reshape transportation across the region and influence how neighborhoods evolve along the transit corridor. Projects of this scale often drive significant changes in land use, housing patterns, and commercial activity. Urban planners refer to this coordinated approach—where transportation investments guide compact, mixed-use development—as Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).

To help illustrate the long-term impact of the rail system and surrounding development opportunities, Honolulu’s TOD planning strategy was featured during the plenary session of the Esri User Conference, where innovative visualization technologies were used to demonstrate potential urban transformation scenarios.

3D GIS and Holographic Visualization in Urban Planning

In collaboration with Esri and the City of Honolulu, Zebra Imaging developed a large-scale holographic presentation that translated complex GIS analysis into an intuitive three-dimensional display. The visualization allowed thousands of conference attendees to explore how planned transit infrastructure could shape surrounding districts, offering a clear representation of future density patterns, urban growth, and transportation accessibility.

Three-dimensional GIS modeling plays a critical role in such planning exercises because it enables planners to present development concepts in ways that are easier for decision-makers, residents, and stakeholders to understand. By viewing projects in a realistic spatial context, communities can more effectively evaluate potential benefits, trade-offs, and design alternatives.

GeoDesign and Scenario-Based Urban Modeling

The visualizations were created using Esri’s GeoDesign methodology, which integrates spatial analysis with planning workflows to evaluate alternative development scenarios. Tools such as CityEngine, 3D Analyst, and Spatial Analyst were used to generate urban growth simulations and density projections along the transit corridor. These models explored multiple planning outcomes, allowing analysts to compare how different policy or zoning strategies might influence neighborhood evolution over time.

Zebra Imaging converted the resulting 3D datasets into full-color holographic displays measuring approximately twelve feet in length, enabling viewers to observe the projected rail alignment and surrounding urban changes from multiple perspectives.

Supporting Public Engagement and Decision-Making

Beyond the conference demonstration, additional holographic visualizations were produced to illustrate “before-and-after” development scenarios, enabling audiences to see how TOD strategies could transform existing neighborhoods. Some displays incorporated multi-view holographic techniques, where images change depending on the viewer’s position, offering dynamic comparisons of different planning alternatives.

The City of Honolulu plans to use these visualization tools during community meetings and public workshops, helping residents and stakeholders better understand proposed developments and participate more effectively in the planning process.

Advancing Communication Through Immersive Geospatial Technology

The integration of 3D GIS modeling with holographic presentation techniques demonstrates how emerging visualization technologies can enhance communication in large-scale infrastructure planning. By transforming complex spatial analyses into accessible visual experiences, planners can foster greater public understanding, encourage informed feedback, and build stronger consensus around transformative urban development initiatives such as Honolulu’s transit-oriented rail system.