Playful, Meaningful - or Both? A Review of the Current State of Digital Participatory Urban Planning Platforms

Abstract

As cities worldwide face unprecedented challenges including rapid urbanisation, climate change, and growing social inequities, digital platforms have emerged as critical environments for engaging citizens in participatory planning. Within such platforms, gamification approaches are adopted to increase engagement. However, no comprehensive assessment of these platforms exists. Through a scoping review of 46 platforms from academic and grey literature, we identify four categories: (1) location-based mobile apps for geospatial data collection, (2) web-based participatory mapping systems, (3) 3D and Virtual reality environments, and (4) AI-powered image generation systems. Our thematic analysis across six dimensions - (a) purpose in urban planning, (b) participation mode, (c) accessibility and reach, (d) location, (e) data dimensions, and (f) gamification features - reveals critical gaps: while feedback mechanisms appear almost universally, advanced gamification remains limited. In addition, many platforms fail to progress beyond prototypes and lack incentives for sustained participation and collecting community-informed data for emergent fields of urban planning, such as the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS). Technical requirements often contradict inclusivity goals, potentially excluding underrepresented populations. Based on these findings, we present 19 design guidelines addressing engagement sustainability, inclusive accessibility, balanced gamification implementation and support of community-based planning. This comprehensive framework informs developers, planners, and researchers in creating more effective gamified digital platforms for democratic and sustainable urban futures.