They say a picture paints a thousand words. Maps offer a tantalising glimpse into the unseen – they are perhaps the earliest form of virtual reality, one that doesn’t always need to reflect the facts on the ground.
For many years, public exhibitions of urban developments have been presented in almost identical fashion. I expect everyone reading this has the same picture in their mind – a community hall filled with a dozen information boards and a slightly uncomfortable-looking project team hesitantly approaching the occasional visitor to guide them around.
That approach has been the norm for decades, with only a few divergences in the form of scale models and, perhaps more recently, screens and projectors. There has also been the emergence of digital consultation through companies such as Built-ID and Commonplace, which are facilitating discussions between the built environment and communities.
But as technology develops and provides us with more engaging and accessible ways of presenting information, should we be looking to fundamentally change the way we run public consultations?
At VU.CITY we believe the answer to is yes, and we are developing a publicly accessible platform we hope will revolutionise the public’s relationship with development.
Your.VU is a 3D Street View-style platform that enables users to accurately view proposed schemes in the context of existing and future developments. It will run in a standard browser, with no app download, no sign-up, and is free. It will allow the average ‘person in the street’ to look at the buildings as they could appear in real life – no gimmicks, and strictly no filters.
The result is a levelling of the playing field for the general public in the often complicated world of commercial property development. It will benefit developers with their statutory requirement to consult, and help de-risk decision making for public authorities with an ever increasing number of schemes coming forward. Importantly, Your.VU has already attracted interest from VU.CITY’s public sector users, which now includes over two-thirds of London’s boroughs, Belfast City Council and Salford City Council.
There has long been a difficulty, a fear and even an unwillingness on the part of developers to clearly and openly communicate their schemes to the public. This has resulted in something of a culture of distrust toward developers and the materials they use to present their schemes.
When you consider some of the common concerns raised by local residents in relation to new development – height, loss of light, density, impeded views, for example – these materials are rarely adequate to allay those fears.
Detailed CGIs are accused of being rose-tinted and unrealistic. 3D models fail to provide an understanding of how views and sunlight might be affected. And information boards can sell the benefits, but often inadequately address causes for concern. More often than not, the concerned resident has to rely on the word of a consultant they have both never met and know full well are being paid by the developer.
This combination of disengaging content, a lack of reach among certain demographics, failure to address concerns and a lack of trust for those presenting the information can lead to a backlash against schemes that, on paper, appear non-controversial. If public consultation going forward is to improve, we have to find a way of engaging a wider cross section of the population, and improving transparency for those who do respond.
That diversification is already beginning to take off, and we can see examples of companies such as Built ID and Commonplace trying to reach new audiences through the use of apps and more engaging content. Our aim is not to replace these tools but to enrich them through public 3D content, to further improve both the quantity and quality of feedback that influences the decision by planners and politicians on whether to grant permission. Your.VU is the next stage in this approach – we want to open the door for the public into a world they have previously been unable to freely explore.
Real life interactive views of proposals could soon be the norm for public exhibitions, and we believe that is not something developers should resist. A wider and more diverse pool of responses generally leads to an increase in support and prevents anti-development groups – which are more proactive in evoking their opinion – from taking over the debate. Additionally, exaggerated or incorrect claims by campaign groups or opponents of a scheme can quickly be dispelled with a trustworthy 3D projection.
Whatever the method, it is clear the future of consultation is one of greater transparency and ease of access to information. It may be several years until we no longer see the need of community hall consultations – there may be benefits in retaining elements of the traditional method.
But if we grasp the opportunities emerging tech presents, we can provide an immensely improved user experience that will attract a broader engagement in consultation vital to the success of schemes. The common goal is to build better cities with more successful buildings and places to live and work, and everyone should be able to play their part in that vision.
Paul Oesten-Creasey is research & development lead at VU.CITY
