Make it real with YARD
How might augmented reality (AR) enable urban practitioners to design better public space interventions in vulnerable urban communities?
YARD is a tool for engaging with communities to design and validate public space interventions. It provides a new way to engage the public to co-create better places through augmented reality (AR): YARD lets users choose and place objects into real space, building virtual scenes to plan and test design interventions that improve the quality of the public domain.
In 2019, Arup’s Advanced Digital Engineering team developed a proof of concept called YARD, a public engagement and research tool powered by augmented reality.
Since then, through Arup’s work with the Bernard van Leer Foundation as part of the Proximity of Care Design Guide—and based on ongoing discussions with the Norwegian Refugee Council, UNICEF, UN- HABITAT, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and others— we have identified a demand for new tools to help design better public space interventions in vulnerable urban communities.
Responding to this demand, Arup has adapted YARD for use in vulnerable urban contexts (VUCs) — areas that typically lack high-quality public space and could benefit greatly from new tools that support the co-design of placemaking interventions.
This multi-disciplinary partnership combines Arup’s technical expertise in the fields of software development and user experience design from Arup Virtual and Visualisation and Advanced Digital Engineering, with Arup International Development’s experience working with partners in the humanitarian development sphere. The collaboration brings together each group’s skills and experience to understand and design for the unique needs of organisations working in vulnerable contexts.
Our work is motivated by two distinct but related challenges: First, the global COVID-19 pandemic has heightened existing challenges to people living in VUCs. Due to a combination of environmental conditions, economic vulnerability, and limited access to social safeguards and safety nets, the residents of low-income urban neighbourhoods and informal settlements are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the virus. Second, within vulnerable communities, women, caregivers and youth are often at increased risk. These groups are often more exposed to harmful social and environmental conditions, and yet have fewer protections or coping mechanisms to help manage those risks.
Insufficient or poorly designed public spaces can make both challenges worse, exacerbating the conditions that increase population vulnerability in VUCs.
On the other hand, the current crisis also points to an opportunity for building better public spaces. Well-designed interventions, developed through a sensitive and participatory process, can bring long-lasting impacts for the quality of life for all residents, and focused benefits for vulnerable groups such as children, women and caregivers.
WORKING WITH LOCAL PARTNERS
As part of our user research, the design team spoke to representatives from Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), Catalytic Action and Civic. Arup collaborated with these organisations in developing the Proximity of Care Design Guide, an approach for designing for early childhood in vulnerable urban contexts. The three partner organisations have a successful track record of collaborating with local communities in VUCs to co-design urban public space interventions, and were enthusiastic about piloting new tools that could help them in this work.
Engaging with our project partners helped us identify and respond to key ‘pain points’ and helped us create a tool that was practical and useful. The synthesis of our user research led to the design brief: How might we provide the community with a common language and shared understanding in order to interpret the desires of the community to the designers?
TESTING ON-SITE
Following further design and development iterations, we worked with our project partners to test the app on-site. The testing illuminated four use cases contextualising how a user might deploy the app to facilitate participatory design. These scenarios describe how urban designers and practitioners— including development and humanitarian professionals, NGOs and community groups—might use YARD to support their work:
1. In a workshop setting: Through the user research, we learned that it can be challenging for some community members to express themselves due to language barriers, lack of confidence, creativity blocks and opinionated voices in the room. YARD enables users to visualise and design their ideal public space and then share a tangible output with the group, easing potential blockers.
“For me, YARD would be a great way to get children to be more engaged. Especially with children who struggle with drawing, seeing objects in the space they are thinking about would be extremely helpful.”
- Sara Maassarani, Catalytic Action El Mina, Lebanon
2. One-on-one with a community member: Through user testing, we found that the conversations that the YARD tool spark can be just as valuable as the visual output. When working 1-on-1 with a community member, the facilitator can use YARD to prompt questions to better understand the intent of the design vision.
3. Used individually by design professionals: An architect, engineer or urban planner can use the tool on their own for visioning and planning: YARD enables the visual placement of assets, serving as an innovative and iterative design tool.
“Simple and visual. This app promises to grant urban planners, enthusiasts, and even dilettantes a brand new spatial language to talk about the urban environment.”
- Muhsen Albawab, Civic Amman, Jordan
4. With key decision-makers: An urban practitioner might use YARD to communicate a vision with local authorities or decision makers. The output of YARD, the final documentation of the AR placement, is a powerful way to communicate design ideas to decision-makers.
To learn more about how the YARD augmented reality app can enable urban practitioners to design better public space interventions, watch the above demo video and read the report, below.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This work was sponsored by Arup Community Engagement. The Community Engagement programme supports Arup’s work with marginalised and disadvantaged people around the world and plays an important part in our firm-wide contribution to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Community engagement has been a leader in coordinating Arup’s efforts to support our clients and partners in each stage of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
YARD builds upon the Proximity of Care Design Guide, which Arup has developed in collaboration with the Bernard van Leer Foundation.
Our sincere thanks to Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), Catalytic Action and Civic.
ARUP TEAM
George Beane, Sara Candiracci, Pedro Contrucci, Kevin Cressy, Katie Dobberstein, Henry Harris, Naomi Li, Spencer Robinson, Roman Svidran
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please contact: Sara.Candiracci@arup.com, George.Beane@arup.com, Katie.Dobberstein@arup.com
