Exploring the citizen engagement metaverse: Testing virtual reality for citizen feedback on public space design options

Abstract

Some governments have begun to experiment with using technology to support citizen and stakeholder engagement in designing public spaces, moving beyond traditional forms such as printed documents and design charrettes structured around physical objects to take advantage of virtual platforms for sharing information and gathering citizen feedback. With the advance and dispersion of technology, the public can now contribute to the planning and design of public spaces through digital platforms such as online surveys, social media, interactive maps, and touchscreen kiosks. More recently, advances like virtual reality (VR) can now be used to give the public a better understanding of complex issues through a sensory immersion into the proposed public space. This thesis reports on an experiment simulating a public participation process on a community playground using both traditional methods and VR, revealing the potential benefits and challenges of public participation in the digital era. The difference between VR and more traditional approaches — from both citizen and public administrator perspectives — and the broader implications of advancing VR/AR and other technology for citizen engagement are discussed in the conclusion.