Game.UP: Gamified Urban Planning Participation Enhancing Exploration, Motivation, and Interactions

Abstract

We present our interdisciplinary research on gamification as a communication tool in urban planning. Approaching the topic from a user-centered perspective, we combine knowledge from the domains of architecture and human-computer interaction and define domain-specific requirements and areas of interest. To substantiate our findings, we present a prototypical case study of a public participation application, developed in consultation with the urban planning project driver and evaluated on-location with members of the public. Our results highlight the opportunities in pursuing a new sub-field of gamification within urban planning and include concepts of game interfaces and spaces in this research. In our case study, we present a methodological approach to assessing gamification in urban planning participation and provide findings on how gamification changes the users’ relationship to participation as well as evidence that the “avatar” game element can affect the motivational affordances meaning of task, perceived competence, and social relatedness.