Augmented reality (AR) combines digital and physical environments, enabling learners to interact with virtual content situated within the real world. AR has been shown to support experiential, collaborative, and place-based learning by embedding multiple perspectives within physical environments (Dunleavy & Dede, 2014). At the same time, researchers emphasize that technology should deepen connections with the natural world rather than distract from them (Ducasse, 2020). Together, these affordances position AR as a powerful storytelling medium for imagining, communicating, and experiencing alternative socioecological futures.

At T-ReCS, students interested in visual, audio, and interactive storytelling worked with AR using ZapWorks. As part of a civic design challenge, students reimagined Creekside Plaza—a local commercial district undergoing redevelopment within the watershed. After studying redevelopment plans, interviewing community members and local professionals, and investigating sustainable design practices, student teams collaboratively redesigned the plaza before creating individual AR scenes that visualized portions of their shared proposal. Using localized 3D assets, students imagined new public spaces, ecological features, and community amenities while communicating their visions for more just and sustainable futures. The final AR experiences were shared through QR codes, allowing community members to explore the imagined worlds students create. 

Best For:

• Interactive, multimodal storytelling

• Experiencing place in novel ways

• Immersive storytelling with public audiences

• Nonlinear communication of stories