In 2018, the City of New Rochelle won a grant from Bloomberg
Philanthropies to integrate virtual reality (VR) and other immersive
technologies into their planning and development process with the
goal to enhance stakeholder comprehension of projects transforming
the city. Since then, New Rochelle has moved a series of projects
forward through New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative
(DRI) and is seeking to implement a cohesive framework to engage
communities through VR.

Karp Strategies was hired by the City of New Rochelle to develop
a VR-based engagement strategy. Central to this work was the
development of two engagement tools: a mobile, modular VR kiosk
to deploy at events around the City; and a VR interface and survey
system hosted on the City’s website. Karp Strategies led the design
and implementation of these tools, which will be used as accessible
avenues for a productive, data-driven feedback loop to inform
large-scale capital project design in New Rochelle. Karp Strategies
partnered with LANDAU Design +Technology to install and manage
the VR-based tools at five key community events across New Rochelle
to engage community members, college students, business owners,
and elected officials.

Karp Strategies also provided advisory services to support
initial engagement efforts for a DRI project called the LINC, the
recommissioning of a highway arterial into a linear park.