A Virtual Reality-based Method For Public Participation In Urban Design

Public participation in urban design is helpful to practice the true connotation of"people’s city,people build",and provides objective basis for urban design.However,currently in China,some limitations existing in the actual use of main methods for public participation,including three dimensional space display and access to public evaluation,affect of the degree of public participation.Virtual reality technology provides immersive experience for public participation,promoting public awareness and evaluation of urban design,and lead the trend of VR applying in the field of public participation.Current research on the application of VR in public participation in urban design still exist some problems,such as weak theoretical foundation and the lack of methodology,which causes its limited application in practice.This study is to bridge part of the shortage of current application research,trying to construct the VR method applied to the public participation in urban design with the theoretical basis,which can obtain the feedback of the public evaluation.The main research contents are as follows:1.Complement the theoretical basis and the research Angle of VR application in public participation in urban design.Firstly,analyse the cognitive scale,cognitive status and cognitive process in the virtual city space on the basis of the spatial cognition theory,and then summarize the feasibility,advantages and affecting factors limitations as the rules of VR application,which are partly verified through an experiment.The rule of VR application provides an important theoretical basis for the construction of VR method.2.Try to standardize constructing VR method,including setting method applicable scope,framework,application processes,and key steps(construction of a virtual reality system,design of evaluation survey,and the used of survey result).The construction of VR method is propitious to guide the scientific application of VR in public participation in urban design,to make public involvement play the ideal effect.3.Public participation in a design project for commercial pedestrian street in Nanning as an example to use the VR method.Upon examination,the process for application is smooth,and the result of application is to achieve the target of public evaluation.Thus,the effectiveness of the method is verified.Finally,this paper concludes the existing problems in research,and prospects for future research.