Multi-Level Interactive Platform for Night Time Economy Planning: A Case Study in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Abstract

Urban planning demands careful handling of data and teamwork among various experts. Traditional urban planning training often struggles with limited group work, hard-to-reach stakeholders, short-term goals, and tight resources. This paper introduces a new digital tool called Night Time Economy Platform (NTEP), built with open systems, and tested in Nha Trang, Vietnam, to tackle these problems. The study, carried out during a 2023 summer camp and a 2025 seminar course, uses real-time Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) to encourage community involvement in decision-making, reaching an 85% approval rate. Feedback from 54 people liked NTEP’s easy-to-use interface (56%) and design features (48%) but pointed out slow performance (28%) and data shortages (56%). NTEP’s focus on people, MapGL visuals, and open connections set it apart from old tools, boosting public input in planning education and studies. Results show NTEP makes planning smoother and more inclusive, offering ideas for wider NTE governance.