The Devil is in the Details? Investigating 3D Visualization Types for E-Participation in Urban Planning

Abstract

3D visualizations are a crucial element of e-participation processes in urban planning, yet their design lacks rigorous evaluation. This study addresses this gap by combining expert interviews (n=14) and an online experiment (n=512) to examine the suitability of 3D city models with varying levels of detail, realism, and resolution. Giving insights into the models’ effects on participants’ motivation, trust, and information overload in an artificial planning process, our results underline the importance of the right choice of visualization for successful e-participation systems and processes in urban planning.