Simulation and Citizen Participation

Abstract

Citizen participation in the planning and construction of new building environments and the renovation of existing habitats has been the focus of much commentary and research during the last two decades. Initially, it was principally in the context of proposals for new community or private buildings and services that citizen participation received considerable attention (e.g., Hatch, 1984). However, during the 1970s there was a substantial shift toward the upgrading the reuse of extant urban and suburban environments and these settings increasingly became the locus of citizen participation (e.g., Woolley, 1985). Despite obvious differences between these two contexts for citizen participation, environmental simulation techniques have been used in both situations as vehicles to enhance interpersonal communication during the planning and design processes. The application of environmental modeling techniques to participatory planning and design has become increasingly common in several European countries, yet remains virtually untried in Asia, Australasia, and North America. This chapter begins with an overview of the ongoing debate on environmental simulation and citizen participation. It then provides a brief account of the design and applications of six European facilities. Finally, a discussion of future directions for this field of inquiry will be presented.