1. Urban Games
- Transdisciplinary ways of working and
results pilot projects
IFHP September 17-18, 2012
Karl Alfredsson, Per Myrén

2. Why Urban Games?

3. Challenge:
Today´s youth have shown great interest in
gaming and in “saving the planet". What if we
could utilize gaming to help save the planet?
Urban Games is investigating that possibility on an
urban scale. By presenting complicated systems like
cities in a gaming format, organizations can provide
opportunities for learning about urban development
and sustainability.
(from mistraurbanfutures.org)

4. Pilot Project Urban Games
-communication and learning
-young people and decision makers
-doing, testing, the results
-toolbox

5. How?
- iPad Game 2021
- Board Game Production
- Urbania – dialogue tool
Transdisciplinarity in Action

7. 2021
• iPad game for 13‐16 year olds developed, for the City
Museum to create insights and be a base for a discussion on
sustainable urban transformation.
• From the 500 students, who has tested it, we can conclude
that this kind of game works very well:
– to achieve better understanding for planning processes,
– broaden perspectives and
– there were several possibilities defined on how it can be used as a
planning tool.
• On Appstore

8. Board Games Production in
Hammarkullen – Pilot Project 3
• Urban empowerment: cultures of participation and
learning” ‐ creating capacity building processes:
• “…a way to act which makes it easier for participants
involved (residents, practitioners, researchers, teachers,
students, etc.) to enhance their combined ability to
contribute towards change - social as well as physical.”
• Goal – to develop Hammarpark, the town square and the
station
• Emmaskolan, 6‐10 years, Hammarkullen
• 60 games, 100 children, 6 days, 3h…

10. Urbania
‐ Light weight visualization tool
Design, Needs, Problems:
‐Zero learning curve
‐Emulate workflow,
feedback
‐Open Source Tools ‐
Google Maps
‐Instant documentation
‐Low cost

13. Urbaniais a light weight visualization and collaboration
tool for urban planning and dialogue.
Urbania allows non technical users to interact using a map
and to place symbols on the map to denote different areas
and points on a map for discussion with other users who
may for example be civil servants, specialists, neighbors in
the area or citizens in general.

17. 2021 – examine learning processes, new
plattforms…
Emmaskolan – empowerment and designing
methods…
Urbania – organizations, researchers, citizens,
the needs of tomorrow, changing
workflows, changing demands, new
technology…

18. Some reflexions
• The need of process knowledge and competence: experts,
citizens
• How to design the dialogue process according to facts and
motivation
• The challenges and how to deal with learning, content and
technology and co-operation

19. Thank
you
www.mistraurbanfutures.org
Urban Games -
Transdisciplinary
ways of working and
results pilot projects