The push towards a Metaverse is growing, with companies such as Meta developing their own interpretation of what it should look like. The Metaverse at its conceptual core promises to remove boundaries and borders, becoming a decentralised entity for everyone to use - forming a digital virtual layer over our own “real” world. However, creation of a Metaverse or “new world” presents the opportunity to create one which is inclusive and accessible to all. This challenge is explored and discussed in this workshop, with an aim of understanding how to create a Metaverse which is open and inclusive to people with physical and intellectual disabilities, and how interactions can be designed in a way to minimise disadvantage. The key outcomes of this workshop outline new opportunities for improving accessibility in the Metaverse, methodologies for designing and evaluating accessibility, and key considerations for designing accessible Metaverse environments and interactions.

Considering the lived experience of communities is key when making decisions in complex scenarios, such as preparing for and responding to crisis events. The article reports on three participatory workshops, which assigned community representative roles to workshop participants. Using role-playing as a method, participants were given the task of collaborating on making a decision relating to a speculative crisis scenario. Across the workshops, we collected data about simulating a middle-out engagement approach and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing collaboration, supporting decision-making, and representing non-human actors. The article makes three contributions to participatory planning and design in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. First, it presents insights about the use of AI in enhancing collaboration and decision-making in crisis event situations. Second, it discusses approaches for bringing more-than-human considerations into participatory planning and design. Third, it reflects on the value of role-playing as a way to simulate a middle-out engagement process, whereby actors from the top and the bottom collaborate towards making informed decisions in complex scenarios. Drawing on the findings from the workshops, the article critically reflects on challenges and risks associated with using AI in participatory workshops and collaborative decision-making.

Community engagement has been widely discussed in both academic and practitioner literature, in particular around the types of tools, techniques, and methods used to undertake engagement. The practice of community engagement is at risk of becoming fragmented if there is a disconnection between the engagement objectives, the mechanisms used for people to interact, and the outcomes that ultimately contribute towards decision-making. Building on their previous work, including an established set of dynamic design patterns for situated, digitally augmented community engagement, authors propose a smart engagement ecosystem as a conceptual model that has the ability to connect people through physical, digital, online, and hybrid engagement approaches. The model postulates that participation between these various approaches are non-linear and reactive; where each approach can be used individually or collectively within the ecosystem. The chapter discusses how this capability can be leveraged within our smart engagement ecosystem model to connect, engage, and interact with local communities. Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.

This editorial explores the role of participatory planning and design in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) within urban, regional, and rural contexts, which is the focus of this thematic issue. Its contributions highlight how participatory approaches can foster inclusive, equitable, and sustainable urban development, moving beyond tokenistic engagement towards genuine community involvement. By examining a range of methods and case studies spanning 13 countries, the issue demonstrates the versatility of participatory planning in tackling key SDGs, particularly those related to sustainable cities (SDG 11), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), climate action (SDG 13), and partnerships for sustainability (SDG 17). We reflect on the successes and challenges of embedding participatory practices within governance structures, drawing on insights from prior academic fora and workshops we convened. Additionally, we acknowledge critiques of the SDGs for their limitations in addressing systemic economic and governance challenges, arguing for a more radical shift in urban planning paradigms. By situating participatory design within contemporary debates on sustainability, governance, and more-than-human approaches, this thematic issue advances the discourse on urban transformation and the future of SDG-driven planning practices.