“Visualize” Rezoning; Engage Communities

With public opinion somewhere between snoozing and outright hostility towards increased density, cities are struggling to engage communities about rezoning and the effects zoning can have on a neighborhood.

Looking for an innovative solution, the City of Orem, Utah, tried virtual reality (VR). With VR, community members virtually “experienced” not only how a proposed project would look, but also how it would “feel” to be in that space. The VR experience brought the Orem community together—with unprecedented support for increased density in that area. 

The project won the American Planning Association Technology Division’s 2019 Smart Cities Honor Award, presented at APA’s recent National Planning Conference.

There’s nothing like experiencing immersive real-time VR to understand its true potential. You can watch as community members in Orem use MIG’s award-winning VR experience. You’ll see what they are seeing!

Virtual reality (VR) is changing how we think about and engage in the practice of planning. To help planners learn to use VR to engage their community, MIG’s Director of Design Visualization, Chase Mullen, worked with Planetizen to develop a new online course—Virtual Reality in Planning. Planetizen is a top training agency dedicated to making urban planning skills affordable and accessible. 

If you’d like to learn more about the City of Orem’s project and using VR in your community, please contact Steve Kokotas, MIG’s Director of Technology.