Use of Roblox in planning and improving of degraded territory in Jelgava Local Municipality

Jelgava Local Municipality plan to use Roblox application to provide suggestions and proposals for improvement of one of the degraded territories of the municipality to turn it into vibrant place for attraction of new or existing entrepreneurs. During the testing appropriate environment of the territory will be developed in Roblox. It is a territory next to a lake in the municipality, which is very popular and visited by locals and tourists. Place is used for running, jogging, winter and summer swimming. At the same time apart of already existing café, wake park, water jumping activity and bouldering there are no other activities and offers available despite the fact the area of the lake is large. Possibly there could be other businesses operating along the shores of the lake thus improving the territory with new offers and attracting new visitors.

Activity will be carried out in cooperation with one of the stakeholders ‘group members of the InterRevita project – Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (Faculty of Landscape Architects). Students will be involved in the development of proposals for territories improvement using already prepared environment in Roblox. Additional elements of improvement will be offered. Students will work in groups of 4-5 people, all the developed options will be presented and given for voting of local inhabitants to choose the best option for further development. Afterwards territory will be offered for rent of entrepreneurs with already developed vision of its use. Pilot will help to improve PI instrument of the municipality as well as involve society in planning activities of the territory and decision making. This approach can be used also in development of other planning documents and improvement other territories in the municipality.