Digital tools offer great potential for cities and municipalities for developing and planning habitats geared towards actual peoples needs. The project Reallabor Stadt:Quartiere 4.0 (Living Labs Urban:Quarters 4.0) focussed on the impacts of the digital transformation on urban habitats and how digital instruments can be implemented in planning and decision processes. The new publication “Wandel gestalten – Das Reallabor Stadt:Quartiere 4.0” published by the Institute of Urban Planning and Design, University of Stuttgart, provides insight into current and future methods and technologies.
Of course, technical opportunities cannot replace decision-making of municipal councils or similar institutions. On the contrary: They can strengthen democratic processes in urban planning and design by involving various groups of stakeholders. Analysis, simulation and visualisation in AR and VR of complex urban data offers an additional valuable basis for decision-making.
Using digital tools and XR (Virtual, Mixed and Augmented Realities) not only is a novel way for collaborative planning processes, but also enables to achieve consensus among participants with different backgrounds. This ist furthermore connected to a common learning process linked to educational aspects as better-educated citizens are more likely both to preserve and strengthen democracy.

The printed book (in German) is available at the Institute of Urban Planning and Design, University of Stuttgart, a digital version (open access) can be downloaded here: Wandel gestalten – Das Reallabor Stadt_quartiere 4_0 – 2019

Dembski, F., Wössner, U., Letzgus, M., Guedey, M. (2019): Planungs- und Entscheidungsunterstützungs-Werkzeug: Der digitale Zwilling; in: Baum, M., Beulich, A., Kegel, T. (eds.): Wandel gestalten. Das Reallabor Stadt:Quartiere 4.0, Städtebau-Institut (SI)- Lehrstuhl für Stadtplanung und Entwerfen (SuE), Stuttgart pp. 44-48.