Interactive Urban Development Control with Collaborative Virtual Environments

This paper presents the rationale and design for a collaborative virtual environment that is being developed to aid shared assessment of urban planning proposals. The research aims to show how a collaborative virtual environment system can be constructed, applied and used in the context of urban planning. A navigable and interactive collaborative virtual environment is being created in which planning information is embedded and analytical tools are provided. Sharing the virtual experience can improve the collaboration among the planning officers, applicant, engineers, developers and the public. These participants can use the system to explore alternative designs independent of time and place. The system will be suitable for discussions during the development plan and development control (decision-making) process. The system aims to improve communication amongst the involved parties and in turn enhance the quality of decisions made by a planning committee. Better informed decisions will increase the confidence that the public has in the urban development process. The research aims to analyse the usability of a collaborative virtual environment system, not only in terms of its visual and communicative impact, but also its impact on the decision-making process.