A Framework for the Participative Management of Large-Scale Urban Environments

How can architects and urban planners design sustainable future cities? Are urban designers really designing urban systems? And which new computerbased techniques have changed the way they think, plan, and communicate? In this article we will investigate how design thinking can contribute to the planning of sustainable future cities. We will emphasize the benefits of using computer-based techniques for purposes such as analysis, simulation, and visualization of complex urban systems. We will introduce a theoretical framework (Future City Simulation Platform), a new hardware infrastructure (ETH Value Lab) for collaborative design, and novel software-based approaches for typical design tasks, such as the simulation and visualization of scenarios or the collaborative decision-making processes among stakeholders with different backgrounds.