Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement

Kimmo Rautanen; Sören Andersson; Yvonne Backholm-Nyberg; Dennis Bengs; Joachim Majors

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-94165-8_40

Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement

Kimmo Rautanen, Sören Andersson, Yvonne Backholm-Nyberg, Dennis Bengs, Joachim Majors

Experience Lab

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Published conference proceeding › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

In preparation for the emergence of a metaverse, or a virtual world mirroring the real one, cities as well as other actors are now developing solutions for different activities in civic life. Urban planning is a field where immersive visual solutions (VR) are being developed to facilitate planning and citizen dialogue to meet the demands for participatory measures. As the design of immersive cityscapes aimed at co-creation is a challenging task, we suggest a human centred design process to create a solution gathering user feedback in real time through an AI application that will process and present the feedback, possibly even generating a visual aggregation. This will allow for citizen participation on a larger scale, creating conditions for co-creation in urban planning.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	HCI International 2025 Posters. HCII 2025. Communications in Computer and Information Science
Editors	Constantine Stephanidis, Margherita Antona, Stavroula Ntoa, Gavriel Salvendy
Publisher	Springer Nature
Pages	368-375
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-031-94165-8
ISBN (Print)	978-3-031-94164-1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-94165-8_40
Publication status	Published - 30 May 2025
MoE publication type	A4 Article in a conference publication

Publication series

Name	Communications in Computer and Information Science
Volume	2527
ISSN (Print)	1865-0929
ISSN (Electronic)	1865-0937

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-94165-8_40

METACITY
Rautanen, K. (Principal Investigator), Backholm-Nyberg, Y. (Co-Investigator) & Andersson, S. (Co-Investigator)
URBACT
01/06/23 → 31/12/25
Project: EU

Cite this

Rautanen, K., Andersson, S., Backholm-Nyberg, Y., Bengs, D., & Majors, J. (2025). Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement. In C. Stephanidis, M. Antona, S. Ntoa, & G. Salvendy (Eds.), HCI International 2025 Posters. HCII 2025. Communications in Computer and Information Science (pp. 368-375). (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 2527). Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-94165-8_40

Rautanen, Kimmo ; Andersson, Sören ; Backholm-Nyberg, Yvonne et al. / Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement. HCI International 2025 Posters. HCII 2025. Communications in Computer and Information Science. editor / Constantine Stephanidis ; Margherita Antona ; Stavroula Ntoa ; Gavriel Salvendy. Springer Nature, 2025. pp. 368-375 (Communications in Computer and Information Science).

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Rautanen, K , Andersson, S , Backholm-Nyberg, Y, Bengs, D & Majors, J 2025, Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement. in C Stephanidis, M Antona, S Ntoa & G Salvendy (eds), HCI International 2025 Posters. HCII 2025. Communications in Computer and Information Science. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol. 2527, Springer Nature, pp. 368-375. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-94165-8_40

Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement. / Rautanen, Kimmo ; Andersson, Sören ; Backholm-Nyberg, Yvonne et al.
HCI International 2025 Posters. HCII 2025. Communications in Computer and Information Science. ed. / Constantine Stephanidis; Margherita Antona; Stavroula Ntoa; Gavriel Salvendy. Springer Nature, 2025. p. 368-375 (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 2527).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Published conference proceeding › Scientific › peer-review

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AB - In preparation for the emergence of a metaverse, or a virtual world mirroring the real one, cities as well as other actors are now developing solutions for different activities in civic life. Urban planning is a field where immersive visual solutions (VR) are being developed to facilitate planning and citizen dialogue to meet the demands for participatory measures. As the design of immersive cityscapes aimed at co-creation is a challenging task, we suggest a human centred design process to create a solution gathering user feedback in real time through an AI application that will process and present the feedback, possibly even generating a visual aggregation. This will allow for citizen participation on a larger scale, creating conditions for co-creation in urban planning.

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Rautanen K , Andersson S , Backholm-Nyberg Y, Bengs D, Majors J. Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement. In Stephanidis C, Antona M, Ntoa S, Salvendy G, editors, HCI International 2025 Posters. HCII 2025. Communications in Computer and Information Science. Springer Nature. 2025. p. 368-375. (Communications in Computer and Information Science). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-94165-8_40

Preparing for the Metaverse: Civic Hub - A Case Study in Using Virtual Reality and AI as Tools for Urban Planning and Citizen Engagement

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