Minecraft As a Platform For Co-Creation Of Urban Space: A Case-Study With Teenagers

Abstract

Digital tools, such as games, are one way of encouraging citizen participation in municipal redevelopment and co-creation of new ideas. In this study we have used Minecraft as a design tool to encourage participation by teenagers in urban planning. We developed a model for participation that follows roughly the ideas of the Block by Block foundation for public participation. We created a digital twin in Minecraft of an old school site that is to be redeveloped soon. We then recruited former students at the school to be participants in a planning workshop to identify possibilities for redevelopment. Our overall design goal was to lay foundation for a process of developing participative workshops employing Minecraft.