Our idea addresses a challenge we identified through months of interviewing Aachen residents: People of Aachen have a strong motivation for shaping the future of their city - especially when it comes to green transition. However, they do not know how to participate, or means of participation currently provided by the city are not accessible to them:



- Many people are not aware of the initiatives from the city of Aachen to involve citizens.



- Working class residents, simply do not find the time to participate in the city's planning sessions that involve in-person participation.



- A large international community of students and researchers, make Aachen home for at least 4 years of their life. However, they simply feel like they have no say in the city's governance, or do not speak well enough German to participate in the city's initiatives.



To address this challenge, a part of the Der TAKT idea, makes citizen participation easy through Augmented Reality screens installed in public spaces across the city: At bus and train stations, and inside trains and buses, using people's free waiting time. At public buildings, landmarks, etc.

These interactive augmented reality screens serve 3 main functionalities:



1. The present simple multiple choice surveys, asking about people's opinions on the city's green energy projects and strategies. People can simply share their idea directly with the city governance by tapping their desired option on the screen. 

2. The augmented reality screens project information about green energy plans currently going on in the location of the screen, providing transparency on the city's efforts to go green.

3. The screen also provides guidance for citizens on how they can get more directly involved with planning the future of their home city.



The screens will provide information in a diverse set of languages, making them accessible to people with different language skills. Future features such as: Audio screen readers and voice user interfaces, make the tool accessible to all groups of people.



These augmented reality screens will be a portal connecting the citizens directly to their local government, making it easy for everybody to participate even a small amount, gives under-represented groups a voice, and empowers residents of Aachen in taking the future of their city in their hands. 



This project was one of the top three selected works in international ENHANCE workshop on "Smart Sustainable Cities and Communities".