Digital Participatory Planning Citizen Engagement, Democracy, and Design RTPI Library Series

Digital Participatory Planning outlines developments in the field of digital planning and designs and trials a range of technologies, from the use of apps and digital gaming through to social media, to examine how accessible and effective these new methods are. It critically discusses urban planning, democracy, and computing technology literature, and sets out case studies on design and deployment. It assesses whether digital technology offers an opportunity for the public to engage with urban change, to enhance public understanding and the quality of citizen participation, and to improve the proactive possibilities of urban planning more generally. The authors present an exciting alternative story of citizen engagement in urban planning through the reimagination of participation that will be of interest to students, researchers, and professionals engaged with a digital future for people and planning.

1. Introduction; 2. A Historical Review of Citizen Involvement in Planning; 3. Citizens and Planning; 4. Human-Computer Interaction, Planning and Participation; 5. Digital and Participatory Design; 6. Citizen Uses of Social Media; 7. Participation through App Development; 8. Digital Gaming as Inclusive Participation; 9. Responsive Digital Engagement; 10. Effective Citizen Participation

Alexander Wilson is a Lecturer in Urban Planning at the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at Newcastle University. He has degrees in town planning and computing. In 2020 he completed his PhD in town planning (within EPSRC the Centre for Doctoral Training in Digital Civics), and his ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in 2021. His research sits at the intersection of urban planning, digital technology, design, and human- computer interaction, with a focus on alternative and enhanced tools and methods for participation in planning.

Mark Tewdwr-Jones is Professor of Cities and Regions at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, The Bartlett, UCL. With a background in urban planning, geography, political science, and film, he has produced 20 books and contributed to disciplinary, inter-disciplinary, methodological, and outreach fields in the academy, linking social science to science and health, new technology to user experiences, the visual understanding of urban and regional change, public engagement, and evidence-based policy.