Embedding Virtual Reality in Urban Planning Workflows: Resource‐Efficient Participation Using Existing Spatial Data

Abstract

Urban planning often relies on abstract representations that are difficult for non-expert citizens to interpret. This article presents a VR-supported participation approach that reuses existing urban planning data to support spatial communication, consultation, and post-implementation reviews in urban planning workflows. We conducted a stakeholder-based requirements analysis with urban planning experts (N = 20) to derive requirements for the approach, focusing on usability, accessibility, adaptability, and feasibility within municipal planning contexts. We then report on an exploratory case study with 99 citizens accompanying the redesign of a public basketball court and the surrounding area primarily intended for younger users, covering both pre-implementation communication and post-implementation evaluation. The findings suggest that existing CAD-derived planning data can be translated into an accessible immersive representation that participants and practitioners perceived as usable and helpful for understanding the planned intervention. At the same time, the study highlights important limits regarding realism, participation quality, and generalizability. The presented approach appears promising as a complementary tool for information provision, consultation, and reflection.