Use of Virtual Reality in Participatory Urban Design

Abstract

AbstractThis paper focuses on providing a comprehensive look at the use of virtual reality in participatory urban design practices. Immersive virtual environments are used in many areas of design, one of them being participatory urban design. Interactive, multisensory three-dimensional environments prove to be engaging for the public and illuminating for the designer. Presence can be benefitted for several layers of participatory urban design process: understanding the proposed design, commenting on the proposed design, contributing to the design. To this end, a review of the literature on the area is conducted and human-centered design considerations are noted. A human-centered VR experience is not proposed as the only component of the participatory design process, but one of them. The process should be designed by experts such as urban planners and designers with the input of all the stakeholders. This model should be included in the process design and tested in such a process in further studies.KeywordsVirtual realityParticipatory urban designHuman-centered designExperience designInteraction design