Adapting to COVID-19
Adapting to COVID-19
NETWORKED PUBLICS
I N D I V I D U A L P R O J E C T
METHODS: CSCW, GAMIFICATION
TOOLS: UNITY, VISUAL C#, ILLUSTRATOR
Networked Publics is a multiplayer participatory tool for planning public spaces. Its core mechanics include prompt-based planning activities, designing for real-time maps, and server hosted multiplayer rooms to communicate with others and manually place assets onto a given space. The purpose of this project is to provide a gamified method that engages local communities in their public planning and politics, and deliver stakeholder feedback to their government representatives.
I T E R A T I O N & E A R L Y T E S T S
This project is an iteration of the 2020 CityPad project as seen below. This time, the goal was to provide users a constructive communication tool that allowed them to collaborate and visualize their spatial decisions within a public context.
Early tests of the simulation conducted in Rhino Grasshopper.
Speculating playful structures in New York with a Grasshopper to Google Earth pipeline.
S C O P E
Both the mobile app wireframe and game simulation were a result of literature review, studying publicly available city voting data, and conversations with Austin residents and Rep. Kathie Tovo on engaging a populace in local politics. From the voting data, it was found that there was only 25% turnout amongst registered voters in Austin for local-specific elections compared to national elections. Key insights from the interviews included residents being involved “if the city’s problems were directly present in their [spatial] surroundings” and Rep. Tovo stated that “political apathy, in some cases, stems from public input not being directly reflected into a city’s final decision on an issue. These issues range in complexity and aren’t always explained in a digestible format.” Rep. Tovo also commented on the shortcomings and lack of attendance in public hearings.
O U T P U T
Networked Publics, developed in Unity with Visual C#, provides a service that is “present in people’s surroundings” and “increases transparency” based on comments from stakeholder interviews. This way, (1) the context is present in their spatial surroundings, (2) users communicate and collaborate their needs with one another, (3) legislators are provided feedback based on high-level prompt-specific contexts, and (4) city residents take a foundational step towards engaging with their community’s development.