The challenge

Citizen participation in municipal planning processes is often conducted in a analog manner and thus sometimes difficult for participants to follow. The high formal, socio-technical, and political requirements lead to complex planning projects, while the interest of citizens is rarely translated into actual participation. Digital, asynchronous formats currently lack opportunities for cooperative design and in-situ experiences. There is therefore a lack of low-threshold, barrier-free tools that meaningfully connect analog and digital participation formats.

Objective & method

The core objective of the project is the development of a participatory, socio-technical infrastructure that combines analog and digital participation formats. Using Extended-Reality (XR) technologies, a digital twin of urban planning designs will be created, which becomes interactive and experienceable in the real environment. The integration of modern technologies, such as Head-Mounted-Display (HMD), stylus pen, and image recognition, enables an intuitive use of urban planning. Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are used, and an object-based database will be established to ensure the creation and synchronization of digital twins.

Expected impact / transfer

The expected impact is a functional, modular platform that integrates various XR tools, each accompanied by usage recommendations, as well as the possibility of object exchange without programming knowledge. This ensures that the tools remain usable and scalable in the long term. The XR tools are intended to support citizen participation in different planning phases, visualize planning variants, make them interactive and experiential, activate a broader population, and improve communication between citizens and urban planners.