What's Going Ön?

Abstract

Citizen participation in urban planning has become more important in the past decades. In recent years, the practice of co-creation has become a popular tool to structure this participatory process. Co-creation is a process that actively involves stakeholders in cooperatively sharing and developing opinions and perspectives towards an outcome that contributes to the overall development. In particular in large and slow processes such as urban planning, co-creation risks becoming abstract and difficult to engage with for stakeholders. This study investigates an experiential approach to participation in urban planning. By building on embodiment to engage participants physically and expressively, this study aims to elicit an understanding between different points of view. With the design of the “What's going On?” experience we explore how Virtual Reality (VR) can play a role in the participation of citizens in the urban planning process of the On island in Umea, Sweden. We present the designed experience and the qualities that play a role in using VR as a tool for participation in Urban Planning.