Today, images, videos and visions of urban futures seem to frame urban development. However, these visualisations are not neutral but constantly used to sway public opinion about development projects even before the planning process starts. Yet, little is known about the ways these visualisations are produced, the stylistic rules they follow and how they are used to frame political decisions. Our project seeks to fill this research gap and bridge the disciplines of urban planning and visual studies. We investigate, how images are used to advance particular visions of the city. We look at how visualisations are produced, materialised and used in the context of planning and political decision making via two case studies: the urban development projects of ‘Tampere Deck' and the Helsinki city plan 2016. We expect to find new knowledge about planning and provide conversation about the professional skills needed when working with visualisations and increase civic virtual literacy.

2022

2026