A toolkit for collaborative design: envisioning and sharing the identity of place through traditional and emergent techniques of simulation

This paper presents the outcomes of an ongoing co-design process and aims to demonstrate the efficacy of novel urban simulation techniques beside traditional forms of representation for fostering citizen inclusion in decision-making processes. The activities involve researchers, students, citizens, and local authorities, collaborating to give a new identity to an urban street. Different forms of representation and simulation have been tested among different actors aiming to support the dialogue, from observing the current condition to defining a shared scenario that will guide the design phase and the evaluation of proposals. The contextual use of multiple forms of representation was a crucial element of the applied methodology; in fact, we argue that depicting the environment in several ways and through various modes altogether, can support an effective understanding of the future transformation, and can contribute to overcoming the intrinsic limits of a single representation mode. Traditional plans and sections are still essential, but new techniques can easily enhance design thinking in all its forms. We tested the proposed approach on the case-study area of a street during public events and on social media. The first results indicate that being physically present and direct interaction are crucial for achieving public involvement, while emerging forms of digital simulations are greatly efficient for an effective understanding of the place, and especially of its future transformation. Several techniques, like Augmented Reality, enable people to get closer to the realistic perception occurring in the future environment.