BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//pretalx//ifkw.rz.tu-bs.de//citizen-science-communication-trust-20 26//speaker//NSPDCE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:CET BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20001029T040000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=10 TZNAME:CET TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20000326T030000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=3 TZNAME:CEST TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0200 END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:pretalx-citizen-science-communication-trust-2026-DYCZBF@ifkw.rz.tu-bs.d e DTSTART;TZID=CET:20261005T161500 DTEND;TZID=CET:20261005T163000 DESCRIPTION:(Der Vortrag kann auf Deutsch oder Englisch gehalten werden)\n\ nParticipation has become a key normative principle of contemporary urban planning. Planning processes are expected not only to produce technically sound solutions\, but also to enhance transparency\, legitimacy\, and resp onsiveness to citizens’ needs. In practice\, however\, meaningful partic ipation often remains difficult to achieve. One reason is that planning pr oposals are usually communicated through maps\, technical drawings\, or ot her abstract representations that are difficult for non-experts to interpr et. This limits citizens’ ability to imagine future spatial situations\, evaluate alternatives\, and contribute informed feedback at stages when d ecisions are still open to influence. \nThis talk examines whether low-cos t virtual reality (VR) applications based on existing digital planning dat a can improve communication in participatory planning and\, in doing so\, foster trust in planning-related knowledge and evaluation processes. The t alk presents a practice-oriented research approach at the interface of par ticipation\, communication\, and trust. Empirically\, it draws on two conn ected components: a stakeholder-based requirements analysis with experts f rom urban planning and participation practice (N = 20)\, and a case study on a VR-supported participation process accompanying the redesign\, before and after implementation\, of a public basketball area in Chemnitz\, Germ any (N = 99). Particular attention is paid to the potential of this low-th reshold approach for groups that are often difficult to address through co nventional planning formats\, including people with impairments as well as more volatile participant groups such as children and adolescents. The st udy investigates how immersive visualization can be embedded in routine pl anning workflows\, how citizens perceive this form of communication before and after implementation\, and how such tools shape the relationship betw een expert planning knowledge and citizens’ experiential perspectives.\n The findings suggest that immersive visualization can reduce abstraction b arriers and create a shared point of reference for communication between p lanners and citizens. Even comparatively simple VR models based on routine CAD data helped participants understand spatial proposals\, assess design elements\, and articulate more concrete feedback. In this sense\, VR did not merely function as a visualization technology\, but as a communicative interface through which planning knowledge became more accessible\, discu ssable\, and evaluable. From a trust perspective\, this is significant bec ause trust did not primarily emerge as trust in technology itself\, but ra ther as situated trust in the comprehensibility\, fairness\, and relevance of the participation process. \nParticipants were better able to relate p lanning proposals to their own everyday experience and to judge the plausi bility of planning-related evidence. At the same time\, the study also hig hlights the limits of immersive participation. Trust is not automatically produced by digital innovation. It depends on low-threshold usability\, tr ansparent communication about what virtual models can and cannot represent \, institutional compatibility with existing planning routines\, and the v isible uptake of citizens’ contributions. \nThe post-implementation eval uation is particularly important in this regard: by comparing the VR simul ation with the realized environment\, the study shows that immersive repre sentations can support early-stage understanding very well\, while also re vealing where expectations\, realism\, and built outcomes diverge. This ma kes VR relevant not only as an anticipatory participation tool\, but also as an instrument for post-implementation reflection and participatory lear ning. The paper contributes to current debates on participation\, communic ation\, and trust by showing how low-cost immersive tools can mediate betw een scientific or expert-based planning practices and public evaluation. M ore broadly\, it argues that trust in participatory planning is strengthen ed not by technological sophistication alone\, but by communicative format s that make knowledge more understandable\, procedures more transparent\, and citizens’ perspectives more meaningfully integrated into evaluation and decision-making. \nIn this sense\, low-cost VR can serve as a practica l and empirically grounded example of how participatory communication may support trust in evidence-informed planning processes. DTSTAMP:20260721T202337Z LOCATION:Room 1 SUMMARY:Trust Through Immersive Participation? Low-Cost Virtual Reality as a Communication and Evaluation Tool in Participatory Urban Planning - Marc Schwarzkopf URL:https://ifkw.rz.tu-bs.de/citizen-science-communication-trust-2026/talk/ DYCZBF/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR