Visualization of cultural values in urban planning in a digital twin

Research Project, 2024 – 2027

The project is about visualizing cultural values in urban transformation and knowledge about sharing of these values by several parties. Today, there are many digital tools for displaying different types of data, but cultural values are often lacking and need to be given attention in the digital landscape. Digitalization of cultural data can provide a visual understanding of the effects
of culture and thus create better conditions for collaboration between actors who need to work together to promote good living environments. Research questions are: How can digital visualization contribute to cultural data becoming more accessible, integrated, and visible in urban development processes? and How can qualitative, "invisible" cultural values be interpreted, visualized and pedagogically communicated in digital models? The project is carried out for 3-years, based on co-creation and a design-based
approach. Project partners come from academia, Chalmers, and the public sector, the Cultural Administration and City Planning Administration of the City of Gothenburg. The project therefore focuses on challenges that exist in Gothenburg. For development of relevant visualization parameters in a planning process, the project is linked to an ongoing process and a test bed area, Gothenburg Filmstudio at Lindholmen. Cultural data is collected, systematized and a requirement specification for visualizations is developed.
In an iterative prototyping process, digital visualization solutions are
developed for the test area and evaluated through user tests. Visualizations include 2D and 3D with different views, color scales, shapes, and levels of abstraction. Interfaces, data formats and data flows are synchronized for linking to the City’s digital twin. Expected results are systematized and digitally visualized cultural data that is more accessible, integrated and illustrated in urban development processes, can be integrated into a digital twin, and a method with upscaling potential.