Multimodality in Virtual Co-urban Design

A multimodal co-design in virtual urban design refers to a human–computer interaction system composed of the comprehensive usage of various input and output channels. The chapter introduces a tailored design thinking framework for the Multimodal Virtual Communication System for Co-Urban Design (MVCSD), demonstrated via practical multimodal scenarios. A distributed modality design unit has been developed to test the scope of active virtual collaboration with the generation of instantaneous urban artefacts. As input, the system generates the artefacts with VR hand controllers, which produce visual cues of new urban scenarios on screens and immersive environments so that the co-designers can actively participate in the design decision-making process. The enhanced perceptual understanding of the virtual environments, the generated visual cues of the 3D artefacts, the affordance of the virtual tools and their instant visual feedback, and verbal exchange lead to the decision-making process attained at the negotiated level. The research explores the embodiment of collective intelligence within these contexts, underlining the fusion of diverse insights and perspectives that propel innovative urban design outcomes.