Empowering Youth: Pioneering Immersive Public Engagement

As the client began the journey of updating their 2050 General Plan together with the Landscape Architecture and Planning team, it became increasingly important to gather input from the commonly overlooked voices in the city. With the largest school district in the state located in the client’s city and almost 25% of that population being under age 18, the project team took the approach of strategically engaging high school students to promote the city they wished to live in.

The client had recently invested over $65 million dollars in the construction of a new university immersive technology center in downtown. The project team collaborated with both the client and the university to develop a fully immersive space (15’ tall, 300-degree projection screen) for youth to physically enter, explore, and dialogue together with peers and professionals on how future land-use elements might appear.

The project Landscape Architect began by focusing on three of the proposed land-use designations that would allow for some of the most impactful rethinking to occur: Urban Residential, Neighborhood Center, and Regional Centers. The Landscape Architect developed digital models of each land-use with various elemental options that were shown to the students for their thoughts and dialogue. Students were able to discuss as peers the benefits and potential issues that could arise from their preferred options and then document their thoughts through digital surveys on their individual smartphones—representing a bold, new avenue for public engagement.

The following land-uses and their proposed amendments are listed below:

Neighborhood Center
This land-use began to explore traditional bike lanes with minimal bicycle protection and attached pedestrian sidewalks, versus separated bike lanes with shaded pedestrian walkways. This option aimed to demonstrate enhanced safety for pedestrians and cyclists in a city heavily reliant on automobiles.

Another key consideration was the design of open spaces within the neighborhood. One option focused on dedicated park space with community gathering areas, while another integrated slightly more urban row homes alongside community spaces. Utilizing immersive technology, students could experience the scale and feel of these spaces, envisioning environments with shade, water features, and opportunities for passive recreation and social interaction.

Additionally, students debated the types of shade the city should prioritize, whether through mechanical structures or natural foliage like trees. The discussion evolved into the recognizing the need for a combination of both approaches, depending on specific locations and surrounding land uses.

Urban Residential
The Urban Residential land-use discussion reimagining the Right-of-Way. Should it prioritize traditional landscaping and a basic 5’ pedestrian sidewalk, limiting access for bicycles and public transportation? Alternatively, could it become a people-centric space offering shaded bike and pedestrian lanes, connections to greenways promoting biodiversity, lower water use, and cooler environments? This inclusive approach featured public transportation stops, bike maintenance facilities, and encouraged diverse transportation modes, fostering spontaneous social interactions and public vitality.

Anticipating significant population growth by 2030, the urban residential land-use model highlighted the need for additional housing units, particularly multi-family housing. Students reviewed images of traditional multi-family setups with no mixed-use elements, emphasizing motor vehicle accessibility and sidewalk-bound pedestrian movement. In contrast, an alternative model proposed mixed-use multi-family housing above commercial and retail spaces, creating a dynamic, integrated community environment. This design incorporated adjacency to greenways, excluding motor vehicles, and included large shade structures to enhance walkability and outdoor comfort.

Regional Center
The final models presented to students focused on Regional Centers. One model highlighted traditional outdoor shopping mall structures primarily for retail, with large 1 to 2-story buildings and extensive parking lots. The second model reimagined Regional Centers as dense, mixed-use areas inspired by traditional town layouts. This high-density approach fosters a vibrant urban environment where residents can live, work, and enjoy leisure activities seamlessly.

Another aspect of the discussion centered on food access and experience, particularly grocery stores. One model featured a standalone grocery store within a retail-focused regional center, offering a familiar shopping experience. The alternative proposed integrating the grocery store into a public plaza alongside a farmer’s market and mixed-use housing/commercial spaces. Students overwhelmingly favored this option for promoting community interaction and supporting the local food system.

Conclusion

The Empowering Youth: Pioneering Immersive Public Engagement project represents a pivotal effort to modernize the client’s General Plan through innovative urban development solutions. At its core, the project aims to foster community engagement through participatory planning enhanced by Extended Reality (XR) technologies. Featuring a 300-degree surround screen, the project facilitates interactive discussions where nearly 50 participants can contribute openly to proposed design elements.

Targeting residents across diverse demographics, with a specific focus on underrepresented youth, the project promotes messages of sustainability, inclusivity, and youth empowerment in shaping the city’s future. By leveraging immersive experiences, it seeks to deepen public understanding of urban planning complexities and underscore the significance of sustainable development.