App bridging LG decision-makers and citizens wins global award

A city
planning app developed with input from three NSW local councils has won an
international award sponsored by Amazon Web Services.

The ArkiCity app developed by the University of Wollongong and Danish company Arki_Lab (in partnership with the Wollongong, Liverpool, and Canterbury-Bankstown councils) encourages users to take a picture of their city then customise and upload it to gather ideas of city improvement into a single place and form a digital town meeting.

Project
leader Mehrdad Amirghasemi said the smartphone application will allow everyone
to engage in the (re)design of their neighbourhood “in a playful and exciting
way”.

“By taking
a picture, making a collage and uploading it on the web, ideas of improvement
are gathered on a single platform where people can interact and elaborate,” Dr
Amirghasemi said.

“The app aims to completely change the traditional process of urban design and development, acting as a bridge between citizens and decision-makers,” he said

According
to the competition judges, the gamification app collected over 200 comments
from 25 stakeholders in just two hours.

“Presenting
the complexities of urban planning in an easy-to-digest manner, the board game
aims to familiarise users with their local surroundings to help them better
understand the potentials and challenges [of the urban development process],”
the judges said.