Adrian Preussner

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) enables image creation and modification through prompts. Prior research has explored the use of GenAI to support citizens in visualising their ideas for urban development, a concept introduced in this paper as urban imaginaries. Although GenAI holds the potential to foster participation and creativity, there is little research on how decision-makers can turn such urban imaginaries into actionable outcomes. To address this gap, interviews with experts (N=21) in urban design, participatory approaches, and municipal administrations were conducted. The findings reveal reflections on the use of GenAI for participatory urban planning, the limitations of relying solely on urban imaginaries, and the contextual data considered essential for decision-making. Building on these insights, this paper outlines implications for identifying when and how urban imaginaries can be meaningfully integrated into participatory urban planning. These implications aim to support decision-makers in understanding citizens’ needs and translating their visions into meaningful action.

Language barriers pose significant challenges in our increasingly globalized world, hindering effective communication and access to information. Existing translation tools often disrupt the current activity flow and fail to provide seamless user experiences. In this paper, we contribute the design, implementation, and evaluation of MRTranslate, an assistive Mixed Reality (MR) prototype that enables seamless translations of real-world text. We instructed 12 participants to translate items on a food menu using MRTranslate, which we compared to state-of-the-art translation apps, including Google Translate and Google Lens. Findings from our user study reveal that when utilising a fully functional implementation of MRTranslate, participants achieve success in up to 91.67% of their translations whilst also enjoying the visual translation of the unfamiliar text. Although the current translation apps were well perceived, participants particularly appreciated the convenience of not having to grab a smartphone and manually input the text for translation when using MRTranslate. We believe that MRTranslate, along with the empirical insights we have gained, presents a valuable step towards a future where MR transforms language translation and holds the potential to assist individuals in various day-to-day experiences.