APEX - Reimagining Civic Engagement Through AR

Apex AR is an augmented reality app designed to revolutionize civic engagement by making city planning more accessible, interactive, and democratic. Created for the City of Berkeley, this project aims to bridge the gap between urban development and community involvement through immersive technology.

The app offers two key features: 1. Government-to-Citizen: Residents can view upcoming public infrastructure or development projects in real-world AR overlays, such as new bike lanes, parks, or housing, and vote or leave feedback directly in the app. 2. Citizen-to-Government: Community members can propose simple grassroots ideas in specific physical locations, like a new bench, streetlight, or mini garden. These suggestions appear as AR objects for others to vote on. Highly endorsed ideas are forwarded to city planners for review and possible implementation.

Traditional civic processes are often bureaucratic, opaque, and disconnected from the public. Apex AR tackles this problem by putting visual, place-based decision-making directly into people’s hands. A pilot program was successfully conducted in downtown Berkeley in 2024. Participants interacted with AR visualizations of proposed urban upgrades and voted via the app. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with users praising its ease of use and sense of empowerment. The full version of Apex AR is currently under development, with plans for wider deployment across several city districts.

By reimagining how residents see and shape their cities, Apex AR brings participatory urban design into the 21st century.