Digital tools and digital pedagogy for placemaking

Purpose The surge of digital technologies and information communication technologies poses a challenge to traditional placemaking, influencing how people live, communicate and connect with their environments. In response, placemaking practices are integrating emerging digital technologies, giving rise to digital placemaking. This digital approach aims to present new opportunities for establishing a sense of place, encouraging unique interactions and adding value to communities in social, economic, cultural and environmental aspects. Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to examine the current landscape of digital tools and apps that facilitate digital placemaking. Conducting an extensive literature review, the research evaluates these tools based on their positive contributions to placemaking, categorizing them according to the aspects they enhance in the placemaking process. These aspects include social dynamics, cultural influences, environmental considerations, artistic qualities, heritage preservation, support for human well-being, urban development and opportunities for digital collaboration among citizens. Additionally, the paper explores digital pedagogy for placemaking, analyzing various tools for their educational approach, knowledge production methods and learning outcomes. Findings The findings indicate a growing trend in utilizing digital tools for placemaking, driven by technological advancements like augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence and the internet of things. Similar to traditional placemaking, digital practices are collaborative and context-dependent, requiring engagement from multiple stakeholders for optimal success. Notably, successful digital placemaking apps often incorporate interactivity and multimodality. Digital collaborative platforms can significantly impact placemaking and sustainable urban design, serving as effective tools for both bottom-up and top-down knowledge production and learning related to placemaking. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study must be seen considering certain limitations. The scoping review utilized analysis of most relevant bibliometric databases, however, in the domain of digital placemaking there are undertakings by private companies, nongovernmental as well as governmental organizations which are not cited in the scientific databases. This limitation was tackled by using conventional search engines like Google and Bing to identify and study such projects. Also, it must be noted that the digital domain is rapidly developing and being integrated in digital placemaking. Even more, the artificial intelligence technology, which is being applied across all disciplines, with so far unforeseen possibilities, should be further examined how it is being adopted and implemented in the domain of digital placemaking and which are its impacts in the placemaking processes and outcomes. Originality/value Despite these advancements, many digital tools lack a comprehensive approach to address the various aspects of sustainability in placemaking. Consequently, further research is needed to develop digital tools that adopt a holistic approach, ensuring justifiability and feasibility in social, environmental and economic terms. Furthermore, in alignment with the goals of the EU Green Deal, incorporating Circular Economy principles into the development of new digital placemaking methods and tools is crucial.