AR URBAN PLANNING – HAIFA CITY

The City of Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel. This scenic city set on the slopes of Mount Carmel and facing the Mediterranean Sea is referred to by some as “Israel’s San Francisco”. It is widely known for its mixed population of Jews and Arabs who peacefully coexist, which results in amazing fusions of Arabic and Jewish cultures across the city.

Client

The City of Haifa

Sector

Urban planning

Services

3D modeling

AR/VR mobile app

Technology

ARkit/ARCore/Cardboard

Unity 3D

Challenge

Show the prospects of the future

The main challenge of the AR for urban planning app was to show how the environment or the infrastructure of the city would change after the completion of a potential investment project. So, to some extent, it was about being ahead of the present time, showing the possible prospects of the future.

The application was created to show which ideas and investment projects would work in practice and which ones were not the ideal solution. At the same time, its goal was to combine the real and the hypothetical making of another wonder of virtual/augmented reality.

Process and project scope

Scope

We created a map of areas where the client intended to propose changes. The next step was to prepare a list of objects that were going to be displayed on the actual landscape with the help of a mobile device.

Objects (i.e. roads, buildings, bridges) were accurately modeled, in accordance with the client’s plans. Then, they were placed in a 3D space and programmed to show up in the right places and to an appropriate scale.

Thanks to this, everyone who installed the AR for urban planning app could see the way in which the planned investment projects would change the landscape.

Process

We devised a relatively easy way of making changes to the configuration of the displayed objects. Obviously, not all of even the most brilliant ideas will turn out equally good in practice. The AR for urban planning app provides a unique opportunity to visualize theoretical projects and then to decide whether they are worth practical implementation or not.

Collaboration

The client informed us about the places where the investment projects were to be made. We then printed a huge poster that helped us verify the application. We got a list of required models and the development process began.

Business value

A vision under construction

Even the best drawings and plans are not always able to accurately show the expected results of an investment project. The client wanted to provide investors, as well as other people concerned, with the possibility of looking at a specific place and actually seeing new buildings and other investments which do not exist yet.

This AR for urban planning app makes exactly that possible. It allows to realistically verify the feasibility and effectiveness of theoretical concepts.

Benefits of the app:

An innovative way of presenting the expected results of the investment, which signifies a professional approach to the case and, at the same time, is supposed to increase the level of trust.
The immersive experience makes it possible to receive live feedback on planned investment projects.
The app prevents possible losses caused by making wrong investment decisions while encouraging the practical implementation of the beneficial ones at the same time.

Technology stack

Unity in difference

In this particular project, we used different technologies thanks to which the user could see 3D models mapped onto an actual landscape. This AR and VR application was made in Unity 3D, and the models were made in 3ds Max.