Interactive virtual sand table : an improved alternative participatory design tool for urban design

Abstract

With the planning reform in China, public participation is becoming increasingly crucial to the success of rural planning. However, it is difficult to involve various stakeholders in planning and design projects, mainly due to insufficient planning knowledge and computer skills. Therefore, this paper introduces the Interactive Virtual Sand Table (IVST) as a participatory design tool so that non-professional users can use it conveniently and promote interactive and efficient collaborative design discussion. The IVST based participatory tool was applied in Xidong Village, Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, China. The results show that IVST interaction is more natural and reduces non-professional users' difficulty participating in the design. Participants' ability to participate was highly enhanced, and their interest in IVST visualization was highly activated. In conclusion, the Interactive Virtual Sand Table highly supports the participatory village planning process and may apply to other areas and domains.