WASHINGTON: Residents of Washington who were interested in the Franklin D Reeves Center’s redevelopment were given the opportunity to visualize the future of the building via a 3D graphics and augmented reality (AR) app. By scanning a QR code on the pavement and using their smartphones, they were able to see the planned sleek glass-fronted space that would house the national headquarters of the African American advocacy group NAACP, along with a dance theatre, restaurant and more.
Michael Marshall, the architect for the new development, expressed that the tool allows residents “to engage with what we’re proposing. That’s priceless.”
An app developed by inCitu, a New York-based company, was used in this Washington pilot. Dana Chermesh-Reshef, the founder of inCitu, explained that their goal is to democratise access to urban change information that might be difficult to access for certain communities.
AR is being used to improve life in some cities, particularly for marginalized communities. In the US, cities are also using AR to help the visually impaired and bring people together through technologies linked to the metaverse, which uses AR and virtual reality (VR) to immerse users in a virtual world or overlay information on images of the real world.
However, experts caution that authorities are not prepared for the challenges that will come with residents using AR. They believe that this blending of digital and physical spaces will raise legal and ethical questions, which have not yet been sufficiently considered.
ABI Research estimates that nearly 700 cities will have rolled out urban metaverse technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality applications, by the end of the decade. Some cities and governments are already using AR, such as New York hosting large AR concerts and Decatur, Georgia officials assisting the visually impaired with an app.
The success of the game Pokemon Go serves as a reminder of the impact the virtual world can have on cities. Some establishments paid to be designated as “stops” in the game, leading to an increase in customer numbers for restaurants featured in the game.
As players’ preferred technologies evolve to “wearables” such as glasses, the right kind of boundaries have to be set on what is allowed and not allowed. The regulation of these wearable devices is yet to be seen, raising concerns about privacy rights and data protection.
Experts stress the importance of ensuring that data and privacy rights are protected as these technologies are rolled out in cities’ operations. They also emphasize the need to address misinformation on new metaverse platforms and ensure digital access.
As technology allows for a greater merging of the virtual and real worlds, there are increasingly complex questions around regulations governing advertising, tax collection, private property, public spaces and more. There are concerns about the potential for a land grab with multiple overlapping, incompatible realities.
Doug John, vice president of emerging technology policy with the Consumer Technology Association, urges caution with problems that do not yet exist, stating that any laws addressing emerging technology should focus on the bad behavior itself rather than the technology used.
Mark Wheeler, former chief information officer of Philadelphia, warns that cities need to prepare for a likely augmented future or risk finding themselves on the back foot due to the private sector’s potential use of augmented and virtual reality.
