DEVELOPMENT OF A DIGITAL 3D PARTICIPATION PLATFORM – CASE STUDY OF WEILIMDORF (STUTTGART, GERMANY)

Abstract

This paper explains the development of a 3D city model-based Public Participation Platform as a prototype and its implementation in a real-world public participation process to redevelop the Weilimdorf area of Stuttgart city. Alongside conducting Weilimdorf’s public participation process, the goal of the mentioned public participation platform is to research citizens’ acceptance of such tools. The usage of digital tools has become more critical for participation processes. The need for social distancing expedites this change, particularly during the pandemic. Previous research frequently focuses on 2D platforms and smaller sample sizes but nevertheless shows the importance of such tools. However, with current developments in geospatial and web streaming technologies, it has become easier and faster to visualize large-scale 3D city models over the web. In this research, these technologies were used by the citizens of the Weilimdorf area to evaluate the usability of the platform and collect their feedback. The result shows that such a digital public participation platform is a valuable supplement to traditional in-person public participation methods.