A PATH TOWARDS CITIZEN-LED PARTICIPATION FOR LOW-CARBON AND AFFORDABLE NEIGHBOURHOOD REGENERATION USING PARTICIPATORY DESIGN DIGITAL TOOLS

The growing literature on citizen empowerment in public decision-making highlights its importance for fairness, acceptance, and urban sustainability. However, achieving extensive citizen participation and effective implementation by local planners remains challenging. To address this, various digital tools have been developed to facilitate collaborative social outcomes. This research reviews existing literature on public participation and participation models. It also evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of participatory design tools. Finally, it presents the functionalities of the participatory urban design tool MUST (Manage Urban Spaces Together), exploring how these functionalities can be extended to support neighborhood regeneration and management in diverse urban contexts.