Site spotting

Synopsis

How can residents engage sooner, and more closely with development proposals in their neighbourhood? This project posits a mitigation of the ongoing problem of public disengagement, or lack of awareness around neighbourhood planning and development. Today, statutory requirements for development applications dictate installation of an inscrutable black and white sign in an empty lot, often unintelligible to the intended audience. Site Spotting is a system to create and package a semi‐interactive display of development proposals on a site. With Site Spotting, a cryptic and easily dismissed sign is replaced by a responsive installation that helps people to understand, in situ and in a more common visual language, the implications of a development notice. The intention is to have people visualize future building development in their neighbourhood sooner, rather than later, and begin the dialogue about the relative merits and drawbacks of a project before stakeholders are entrenched. The basic functionality of this project is driven by pedestrians and neighbourhood residents passing by the site – those with a real stake in the outcome of a project – activating a projection through a motion sensor on the edge of a development site as people walk alongside the property. A 3D model of the proposed massing is projected, using animation to highlight key details of the architectural proposal. Construction hoarding provides a life‐sized canvas for presentation of the new pedestrian‐level design, and overhead protection elements along a sidewalk provide an ideal location to mount projection equipment. The projection may be enhanced with information about the project or links that invite viewers to provide feedback to project proponents by voting on preferences via smartphone or website, or registering concerns.