St. Louis Digital Twin
ArcGIS Maps SDK for Unreal Engine, for an urban revitalization project.
Built at Houseal Lavigne for the St. Louis Development Corporation. An interactive 3D model of the Dr. Martin Luther King Drive corridor, a priority area in the city’s Economic Justice Action Plan, that stakeholders can explore in real time.
Aerial view of the Marshall School development concept.
UE 5.4
Unreal Engine with the ArcGIS Maps SDK
MLK Dr
the Dr. Martin Luther King Drive corridor
SLDC
built for the St. Louis Development Corporation
Overview
A 3D model of the MLK Drive corridor
As part of the Houseal Lavigne team, I worked on a digital twin for the St. Louis Development Corporation focused on the Dr. Martin Luther King Drive corridor. The city’s Economic Justice Action Plan identifies this area as a priority, and it needed a new approach to urban revitalization.
I implemented the ArcGIS Maps SDK for Unreal Engine to build an interactive 3D model of the city. Stakeholders can explore and visualize proposed changes in real time, which makes complex planning concepts easier for everyone to follow.
In the news
On KMOV St. Louis
KMOV's report on how St. Louis is using the 3D digital twin to visualize redevelopment in The Ville.
Project showcase
From the editor to the street
Unreal Engine
Development environment in Unreal Engine with ArcGIS integration.
Recreation
Interactive recreation facilities visualization.
Monarch butterfly mode
Interactive monarch butterfly mode for exploring the urban environment.
How it works
From GIS data to an interactive city
01
Collect GIS data
GIS data for the city, including building and parcel data, gathered and processed for the model.
02
Generate buildings
CityEngine procedural rules and building generation logic turn that data into 3D buildings.
03
Model key buildings
Detailed 3D models of key buildings are added to the digital twin.
04
Make it interactive
The ArcGIS Maps SDK brings it into Unreal Engine 5.4, with game mechanics, user experience and UI on top.
Features and implementation
What went into it
Technical features
- Integration of GIS data with Unreal Engine
- High-fidelity 3D visualization of urban spaces
- Real-time interaction and exploration
Community impact
- Community engagement through visualization
- Better-informed decisions on urban development
- Closing the gap between planning and community understanding
Data integration
- GIS data collection and processing
- Building and parcel data integration
- Historical data analysis and visualization
Visualization technology
- ArcGIS Maps SDK for Unreal Engine implementation
- 3D rendering and visualization
- Interactive user experience design
Project impact
What it changed for St. Louis
The digital twin gave the city a new way to approach urban development.
- Created an immersive platform for community engagement
- Enabled data-driven decision making for urban planning
- Supported the city’s Economic Justice Action Plan
- Demonstrated the potential of digital twin technology in urban development
- Established a scalable model for future city-wide implementation
Featured in
Press coverage
The team
Built at Houseal Lavigne
Lead Software Architect – Houseal Lavigne Associates
Designed and implemented game mechanics, user experience functionality, and the project’s UI.
Principal | Cofounder – Houseal Lavigne Associates
Provided GIS data expertise, developed CityEngine procedural rules, and led building generation logic.
3D Modeler – Houseal Lavigne Associates
Created detailed 3D models of key buildings for the digital twin.
Read how St. Louis used it
The St. Louis Development Corporation and Esri both wrote about the MLK corridor digital twin.