GAMIFICATION IN URBAN PLANNING - EXPERIENCING THE FUTURE CITY

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) systems have been commonly used in the game and entertainment industries and are also increasingly explored in architecture and urban planning. They assist designers to communicate design ideas to a wider public and can engage them in the design processes. In this paper, we explore gaming environments to allow users to learn about smart city applications, such as innovative mobility approaches, urban farming, drone delivery, etc. The project is part of a real-world project for a future city for 50,000 inhabitants in the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. VR technologies can offer a testing ground for testing ideas, simulating performance, crowdsourcing ideas, before building the actual city physically. Gaming incentivizes citizens to participate in the design process, and the data collected provides a significant feedback loop to shape the city of the future. Citizens can immerse themselves in the VR environment, and experience the design via four circulation modes, e.g., walking, biking, driving, and flying. They allow users to explore novel circulatory approaches within new and innovative city arteries. Indeed, the design of the city accommodates a portfolio of mobility options, and the gamification allows testing pioneering designs, e.g., parallel streets for pedestrians, vehicles, etc. Furthermore, the game allows users to collect points when engaging in smart city topics, such as urban farming, solar energy usage, carbon neutrality, etc. Feedback loop that helps to iterate on the design. The project consists of three phases, a. an immersive VR version of the city experienced on head-mounted-displays, b. edutainment and the gamification of the city, and c. the integration of the digital version of the city into Meta’s multi-user space. In the paper, we present early findings of the project, the methods/tools explored, and discuss the utility of VR technologies in the design processes of architecture and urban planning.