Using Minecraft as a Geodesign Tool for Encouraging Public Participation in Urban Planning

Abstract

Simulation of reality in computer games has recently been adopted for urban planning purposes. Minecraft™ is a computer game in which players use 1m³ blocks of various materials to construct buildings in an imaginary world. It has become popular recently as a geodesign tool for encouraging public participation in urban planning. As part of this research, a prototype model was developed based on the enhanced transformation of actual spatial datasets into a Minecraft virtual world. A Minecraft-based, collaborative geodesign participatory process was conducted in order to assess a geodesign proposal for a location within the study area in Austria. The research aims to explore the usability of Minecraft as a geodesign tool that can facilitate public participation in urban planning decision support. The results showed that maintaining adequate realism in Minecraft model designs can positively influence users' sense of orientation and improve their navigation in a Minecraft world. A disadvantage of using Minecraft is that assessing the reliability of designs for urban planning is time-consuming. Furthermore, using Minecraft models requires participants to be highly motivated