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Contact us. Please note you do not have access to teaching notes. Other access options You may be able to access teaching notes by logging in via your Emerald profile. With the 'new literacies' comes new ICT skills as literacy is no longer limited to reading paper books and texts.
Today, new literacies brings the learning of new technologies which are essential for students to master if they are to be literate for the 21st century. New technologies can be used to do traditional things in a different, more motivating way. As a consequence, teachers are challenged not only to integrate technology into traditional aspects of literacy instruction but also to engage students in emerging technological literacies.
ICT can be used to support the learning and development of both literacy and language in early years education. This is mostly conducted through collaboration with other children around computers where the quality of discussions can be quite interesting.
So these are the main ICT learning tools that I suggest to use to aide in the development of literacy and language. Several drawbacks of this urban policy were fast to appear. On the one hand, valuable urban legacy was destroyed; the entire urban communities with specific lifestyles and cosy neighbourhoods were completely erased.
On the other hand, the modernist style of concrete blocks that appeared on their former land sites were sold fast but appeared to be disgusting to live in and were abandoned in a short term by their residents turning the whole areas into urban deserts. Last but not least, complete rebuilding was a very costly venture compared to gradual refurbishment of existing stock. The process of protests of local residents was fast to appear, and it was professionally supported by architects Figure 1.
Residents looking for real participation power in urban redevelopment of the UK. Real people need real power before Megatropolis strikes their home. The success of a particular case in Manchester turned into a precedent for the whole country that led to wider discussions on the issues of urban redevelopment between the residents and the councils.
Still, efficient methods of communication between the clerks, the public and the business were to be developed. In Europe, many countries have gone through a similar process like in the UK in approximately the same decade. As a matter of fact, modern public participation methods were not used in East European countries until the last decade of the twentieth century for evident socio-political reasons. Finally, regulations on public involvement found their stake in national construction law mostly following the examples of other West European countries.
In general perspective, public participation facilitates decisions on more rational planning and design thus saving material and social resources including urban land, materials, labour and energy. The paper is designed as a set of analysed practices and case studies with public participation in planning. Techniques and potentials of spatial modelling and virtual representation are reviewed and analysed. The research starts by presenting the development of techniques in virtual representation and turning them into a planning tool.
Virtual simulation in gaming environment is analysed by presenting several case studies including the one developed by the author of this paper. By comparing different tools and methods used for public participation, their strengths and weaknesses are identified. By comparative analysis, passive, active and interactive public participation methods are structured in the aspect of their interactivity.
As a conclusion, the recommendations are drawn on how to apply and replicate innovative information and communications technology ICT -based public participation tools for better results in urban development. Since the first papers were published on research in virtual reality and space simulation in , the immense list of publications is available, illustrating the scope of research activities ongoing in different knowledge centres around the globe [ 3 ].
As noted by Simpson in , the published research primarily focused on general issues of environment simulation later calling for application of virtual reality in planning and design as well as analysing current examples and the role of urban simulation [ 4 ].
Along that road, the aspects of urban simulation in geographic information system GIS environment were analysed, reflecting state of the art in virtual urban modelling. Applications of simulation for hazard research are one more area for research. Wider development of research on virtual reality applications in urbanism collide with technical limitations of both hardware and software, as well as lack of established research methodology.
The most advanced research centres focus on the complex research of three-dimensional city scale simulation in a GIS environment also combining it with dynamic building of integrated modelling systems. Several main topical categories of references in virtual reality simulation could be identified. Urban and environmental simulation is a broad area covering references in urban and environmental simulation, visualisation and virtual reality, focusing on contributions to urban planning.
Virtual reality and GIS application is another field for researchers whose centre of their glance is on virtual reality and urban simulation as it is developed in GIS environment. Urban and regional modelling by building, evaluating and testing urban and regional development models is the next broad category of references.
Urban simulation and gaming section explores simulation and technical aspects of gaming. Technical aspects of urban and environmental simulation are common category of research being presented independently or incorporated into one of the above-mentioned categories. Virtual reality models are different from reality, so it is an impression of a person involved in experiencing virtual reality.
There are important aspects of human perception of the presence in virtual models that empower human senses as memory, bodily movement and kinesthesis [ 5 ]. The sets of parameters such as awareness, memory, sensory notion, feeling of realism, attention and interaction are offered to identify the notion of mixed presence of the user in virtual models.
Special regulation adopted in the UK for developing a statement of community involvement SCI in urban planning allows the local government to set a goal in endorsing this regulation, to fulfil its vision in order to engage the people and organisations of Sheffield in planning for sustainable development [ 6 ]. The experienced benefits of exercising this practice in Sheffield, the third largest metropolitan district in the UK, promote planning as a proactive tool for delivery of sustainable development, reflection of needs of local community, quality improvement and efficiency of planning as well as promotion of social cohesion by giving communities a tangible steak in decision making.
The involvement covering public, private, community and voluntary sectors of local urban settlements has to be transparent, promoting real participation and involvement, accessible and inclusive, also accountable. The principles of SCI stated hereby include culture of engagement, early and continuous involvement, reaching out and fit for purpose, clarity and formal representation based on a certain code of practice. Several participation tools are identified to be applied by SCI: media, letters, public meetings, websites, distributed documents, exhibitions and questionnaires.
Continuing the involvement, using its results and giving feedback on implementation are most important aspects for local communities. The stages of SCI are evolving in the process of its undertaking as more cooperation experience is accumulated by the stakeholders.
Starting with informing local residents about the planning process that is going to happen, it moves to the next phase: consultation of local residents and survey of their opinions, and further on, it leads to active involvement of communities in becoming a stakeholder and partner of the planning process [ 6 ].
As underlined by the International Association of Public Participation in their project aimed at the improvement of cross-cultural exploration of public governance and decision making, innovative use of communication technology can improve the quality of public participation with indigenous communities who have much better perception of simulated images compared to two-dimensional maps and drafts [ 8 ].
However, several decades of applying traditional tools to involve the public into the planning turned out to be restricted in terms of access and time, transparency of the process as well as needed resources.
Different types of meetings, committees and working groups spend much time as participants have little practice in understanding planning strategies, the process itself and its outcomes. Additional time is needed to access all groups of citizens, especially the teenagers and the youth.
The meetings involving the members of local communities are usually dominated by few most active members who reveal their own opinion more than that of the whole community. Multiple meetings, repeated access attempts and the need to control the process involve professional staff, premises and services; therefore, the process usually becomes long and expensive compared to its results. Several of the above-mentioned methods are practiced in Lithuania as regulated by the Guidelines for Public Participation in Urban Planning [ 9 ].
Completed planning projects are registered by the local authority at the publicly accessible Planning Register. The practice of implementing participatory planning methods in Lithuania has demonstrated quite similar limitations as in the other countries, transparency and efficiency being the main ones. There were cases when organised groups of community representatives have severely criticised selected development projects but later supported similar ideas presented by another developer.
In this case, the real voice of residents remains unheard. Accountability of planning organisers and transparency of planning process are the main social gains that are generated in the process of public participation as noted by the EU Directive on Public Participation [ 10 ]. Involvement of groups of residents and other NGOs is especially encouraged as it brings also environmental education for people.
Wider use of electronic media is appreciated by the Directive as one of the means for appropriate information and involvement. The basic methods used for public participation based on their interactivity are structured as passive, active and interactive see Table 2.
Passive methods are based mainly on one-way communication between the planners and the public as one of the stakeholders with no interactivity. The emerging ICT-based techniques are attributed to interactive methods as their goal provides a person or representative group with possibilities of direct access and reliable and monitored feedback on the goals, roles, process and consequences of planning.
Present challenges in urban development and limitations of traditional participation methods in Vilnius City were the reasons of looking for new more efficient methods of public participation in urban planning and design.
These protests left local authorities confused and city planners disappointed. On the other hand, attempts of planners, architects and authorities to establish a constructive dialogue with the residents practically failed because of lack of experience from both sides as well as the proposed methods showed up as inefficient and non-transparent.
Analysis of the analysed cases shows that the attempts to maintain a contact with local residents and involve them in planning were carried out in primitive ways by using just formally required methods with no follow-up and real impact on the planned development projects. There were several cases during the last years when certain urban development programmes and decisions of city bureaucrats that were not supported by a part of Vilnius citizens ended with social protest of local communities.
Some cases show how Internet databases used as virtual knowledge platforms with good access have attracted big number of community and professional users who generate their feedback referring to the presented planning and design information in the way of direct comments on website also that brings learning and replicating the provided practices in a wider scale.
Sustainable energy innovations that were applied at Grand Spa Lietuva hotel and spa complex in Druskininkai town in Lithuania Figure 3 a were presented on the sustainable building platform Construction21 [ 11 ].
In relatively short time, that attracted lots of virtual visitors nationwide who analysed the provided information and left the feedback. What is more, by reviewing information on the newly refurbished spa complex in the famous Lithuanian resort, town citizens learned about the benefits of innovative smart grid system for residential areas.
This triggered interest in replicating such practices and increased visibility of professionals who have designed, installed and are maintaining these facilities. All this was made possible by providing virtual access to urban development cases for the community users on the Green Building platform Construction It turned out that the provided information is easier to access and better to understand when presented in a virtual way with simulated architectural images and supplemented by technical data.
Grand Spa Lietuva hotel and detailed urban model. Pictures by G. Innovative public involvement systems also cover energy and climate issues that are the major challenges in modern communities especially in creating urban complexes of nearly zero-energy buildings Figure 3 a.
This approach is illustrated below. Virtual reality is more and more often used as a planning tool. Visualisation of planning and design material gives an important planning support in landscape architecture design.
Virtual reality models allow the citizens to understand spatial and temporal processes of design; they encourage communication and comprehend planning proposals. Testing the virtual reality VR models in three-dimensional 3D spatial design showed that 2D models and aerial photos are also needed to support orientation on-site, and the best results are achieved by combining these tools together.
The virtual models offered to the public are preferred to be realistic but not too photo-realistic as fancy details and other visual effects distract attention instead of focusing on essential features of a site. Visualisation sparks public interest in planning proposals, while a balance of live VR shows and Internet visits should be maintained. The development of the planning proposal in time is of a great interest both to the public and professionals which is already a 4D task for future development that enables to show and see 3D spatial planning that changes in a particular time frame Figure 3 b [ 12 ].
Possible applications of virtual urban simulation include projects with public involvement into presenting, analysing and evaluating urban development models. Interactive tools provide residents with possibility to get a close look at the projects to understand the concept and feedback their opinions. By linking VUS and GIS, it is easy and comfortable for the user to access all types of required information by highlighting it or identifying in other ways.
On the other hand, it is doubtful that availability of the mentioned data layers and accessing it in real time will automatically generate information about the suitability of particular land parcels for redevelopment [ 12 ].
Effective visual representation of designed models gets especial importance in landscape architecture. The platform comprised open-source components turned to be efficient for individual implementation depending on the specifics of the project and real needs of the community. Some space simulation systems enable the user to modify the urban development model: change houses, trees and other elements from the designed library.
The option of change of the area in time is especially a useful feature for local community residents, e. Linking these applications to real estate information as land plot costs makes them especially useful. Some systems build their efficiency on features as generating development of the area by selecting houses through a typical prototype library as practiced in Los Angeles, CA, USA. SimCity video game series which started in is recognised as one of the first virtual urbanism gaming applications that besides its gaming aspects bears a didactic role that is being used in several urban training practices around the world.
Since spatial modelling tools were developed, they adhere to similar features of gaming products, e. Some agent-based modelling features are presented as conceptual gaming tools [ 14 ]. Video games are more and more important as spatial modelling tools and simulation engines able to analyse socio-spatial and hierarchical systems of modern urban environment both in real and designed cases. Still, video games and simulation models implement rules based on different and even opposite methods: complex models explicitly expose possible choices and their interrelations, while in video games, the user has to discover the rules of the play himself.
On the other hand, video games are appealing and pleasant because of their graphic features and interactive scenarios that are more involving and attractive for the user.
Being a way of learning about the world in general and learning new knowledge in particular, gaming has several great advantages of applying virtual simulation tools for public interaction and, in particular, for participation reasons.
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