Kyrre Nordal’s master thesis examines how digital 3D models are used in Norwegian detailed zoning processes, and why their use remains limited despite their potential for communication and spatial understanding.
How are digital 3D models used in Norwegian planning practice, and what role can they play in communication and public participation? This question is central to a new master thesis by Kyrre Nordal, completed in June 2026 as the final project of the five-year Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). The thesis was supervised by Ramzi Hassan and Elin Børrud.
The study investigates the gap between the technological potential of 3D models and their actual use in municipal planning practice. While 3D models are often seen as valuable for improving spatial understanding, communication, and decision support, the thesis shows that their use in practice is still limited, situational, and often weakly integrated into the formal planning process.
The thesis is based on a combination of document analysis, a national survey of municipal planning practice, and a case interview connected to the Kulturkvartalet project in Bergen. The survey received 92 valid responses from respondents representing 80 municipalities, providing a broad indication of current municipal experiences and challenges.
The findings suggest that planners generally perceive 3D models as useful tools for understanding volume, scale, terrain, building heights, and complex spatial relationships. However, the study also shows that many municipalities lack the systems, routines, software, or capacity needed to use such models actively and systematically. In many cases, 3D models are used reactively, when a planning case is especially complex, rather than as an integrated part of the planning process.
The Bergen case illustrates how 3D models can support internal analysis, interdisciplinary discussion, and public communication when used actively by the municipality. At the same time, the thesis emphasizes that one case cannot represent Norwegian planning practice as a whole. Rather, it provides an analytically rich example of how 3D models may support better understanding and more informed dialogue when the right technical and organizational conditions are in place.
The study also highlights important risks. 3D visualizations can make planning proposals easier to understand, but they can also influence how a project is perceived through perspective, lighting, vegetation, level of detail, and visual framing. This underlines the need for critical use, clear standards, and transparent communication when 3D models are used in planning and public participation.
The thesis concludes that the main challenge is not the capacity of the technology itself, but how digital 3D models are embedded in planning routines, municipal workflows, and formal processes. Earlier and more systematic use of 3D models could strengthen the basis for spatial understanding, communication, and decision-making in planning.