Y.I.M.B.Y._Yes, In My Backyard (And Everywhere Else Too)
Los Angeles, CA
2017
UCLA CityLAb TIMES 10
Architecture + Design Museum
Collaborative work with Legg Yeung & James Janke
Status_Unbuilt:
Competition Finalist
In March 2017, the Neighborhood Integrity Initiative, a measure proposed to set limits on Los Angeles County’s density development, will be on the ballot for voters. Its competing measure, the Build Better LA Initiative, was on the ballot in November 2016. The names of these initiatives, “Build Better LA” and “Preserve LA,” now represent an axis of division in Los Angeles’ building politics. Voters are prompted to take sides so that the future direction of density development can be resolved democratically. However, it is problematic for building politics to shrink to a binary choice, especially one which will affect the entire city regardless of the intrinsic differences between its neighborhoods. The situation is worsened because Los Angeles residents, most of whom are neither pro-development agents nor anti-development activists, are poorly informed of the subject matter. Without a broad comprehension of the implications of density development, public participation in building politics may devolve into sentiments or inaction. Therefore, it is an urgent task to spark exchanges between public constituencies and contour the debate on density development.
In this light, “Yes, In My Backyard (And Everywhere Else Too),” a pro-density project, operates as an augmented reality game that provides a platform for information dissemination and civic debate. Played by residents from all neighborhoods in Los Angeles, this game cultivates pro-density mindsets by advocating the need for density and its pragmatic benefits. At neighborhood scale, players must collect, move, and crowdsource virtual bricks to build volumes that are linked to density-dependent rewards such as transit services, community parks, and grocery stores. The more players build, the more amenities they earn for their neighborhood. At city scale, the totality of these virtual bricks amounts to the housing stock required to accommodate the projected population growth (1.6 million) for Los Angeles by 2060. Therefore, players are creating versions of virtual development in anticipation of the real development needed. The more players engage, the sooner the city can come to terms with its projected population.
Over two game stages, players will produce multiple virtual scenarios of density development. Each neighborhood will first confront its density target by redistributing virtual bricks from its boundary to build local clusters of virtual volumes. Once an internal target is reached, the neighborhood becomes unlocked, allowing its players to build outwards and outside players to build within. This staging strategy facilitates a shared responsibility of density development among all neighborhoods, and encourages local consensus.
However, given the intrinsic geographical differences between the neighborhoods, their preferences of density also differ in terms of locality and distribution. As a result, these differences offer diverse benchmarks for density assessment. Furthermore, players’ interests are rooted in market economy and social identity, causing them to intermingle, negotiate, and compete. This produces an augmented urban landscape of both conflict and cooperation. Players will navigate through mountainous terrains, visit monuments under construction, and encounter campaign message billboards. As a result, the dynamics and scenarios within the augmented urban landscape will generate cautionary tales and testimonials for a grounded debate on density development.
In order to maximize accessibility, the “Yes, In My Backyard (And Everywhere Else Too)” project utilizes a gaming mechanism to confront the public with density development. It challenges the public to deploy density tactically and aligns personal gaming experience with community building targets and city development goals. The recent success of Pokemon Go! suggests that the technology and market that support location-based, augmented reality games are already mature. The wide appeal of such games is rooted in their ability to entice public participation through immersiveness. By overlapping the virtual with the real, even the most mundane urban block can be transformed. While Pokemon Go! was created for commercial and recreational purposes, its formula can be adapted to engage the public politically. Thereby, “Yes, In My Backyard (And Everywhere Else Too)” latches onto the existing infrastructure and opportunities in the gaming industry, but reappropriates them to guide public perception of density development.
Simply viewing images of density development projects can quickly incite strong sentiments. Given their one-sided authorship, these images do not paint a complete picture of density development, but instead elicit fear of economic and social instability. Therefore, to persuade the public to say “Yes, In My Backyard,” it must be educated comprehensively on the subject matter. This project provides a process for the public to test-run their choices, and a medium to deliberate over the outcomes. It creates room for much-needed civic debates about the future of Los Angeles, discouraging “No” as the answer to density. It seeks to inspire Angelenos to adopt a pro-density mentality, thereby fostering a city of YIMBYs.