# CityBuildAR: Enhancing Community Engagement in Placemaking Through Mobile Augmented Reality
## 5 Findings and Discussion
### Can Mobile-AR Tools Like CityBuildAR Replace Traditional Participatory Planning Methods? The CityBuildAR app facilitates the use of M-AR in placemaking by engaging with the three primary attributes: sociability, physical setting, and imageability. This app fosters sociability by offering an immersive, real-time, interactive experience for modifying public spaces and promoting collaborative decision-making. Unlike traditional methods that rely on drawings, 3D renderings that require expertise or public hearings with limited interaction with the actual space, the CityBuildAR app enables users to visualize designs, and place and adjust virtual objects in the real-world context, offering a tangible connection between designs and the physical setting. Additionally, it enhances spatial perception by enabling users to integrate visual and cultural elements into public spaces and explore the impact of design elements on the overall character and identity of space, which strengthens the imageability of space. The strengths of this app, such as real-time visualization, interactive platform, and accessibility, eliminate the barriers associated with traditional methods like discussions, public hearings, and stakeholder meetings, enabling the ability for it to be used as a contemporary tool for placemaking. In comparison with the 34 apps reviewed in the literature review, CityBuildAR avoids location-based errors and GPS inaccuracy [81; 97] as this app does not require location fetching to do the design. The CityBuildAR app relies on markerless AR technology using real-time place detection and surface tracking through the device's camera, and the virtual objects are placed relative to the detected plane. This method allows users to quickly place objects. Still, this limits the ability to edit/reproduce the same design with high precision, as it is saved as an image to the cloud. However, the location coordinates and design configurations are saved to the cloud for later access. Therefore, the CityBuildAR app enables any individual from any part of the world to create a design and then save the image to the cloud database, which is handled by the relevant authorities in that area. Other constraints, like technical complexity and high costs of other AR apps [85; 97], were eliminated by this app, as it requires a smartphone to install the app and then do the design and save to the cloud. However, the CityBuildAR app also has some inherited limitations, such as it requires access to a compatible smartphone to run the AR app, basic technical knowledge to install and operate the app, and an internet connection to connect the app to the cloud to save the designs. In addition to that, the AR apps identified in the review do not support citizen engagement in the planning context directly. Even though 13 apps are related to the urban planning context, only the Smart AR mini application [68] and ChangeExplorer app [70] enable the real-time engagement of citizens in the real-world context. Other apps such as City View AR, Wikitude, etc. support only visualization. Meanwhile, the rest of the 21 apps discussed in the literature are not directly relevant to the urban planning context, yet they enable community engagement in other fields such as construction. Yet, the CityBuildAR app does not provide the capability to replace traditional participatory methods completely. As discussed above, this app allows each individual to do their own unique design and enhance their level of engagement and understanding in placemaking. But according to the image analysis (Table 3), the consideration of significant aspects such as physical setting, sociability, and imageability in placemaking was not highlighted in the designs when using the app. However, the limited time allocated, and the limited space used to design, the characteristics of the space (cement pavements, existing table, bench layout) have influenced the professionals' designs.