Games for Cities
The Game of Urban Renewal (2010)
Toronto [CA]
Developed by:
A board game designed to educate players about the cyclical nature of urban renewal.
Toronto-based artist Flavio Trevisan created The Game of Urban Renewal to reflect a repetitious urban (re)development pattern manifest in his city: the cyclical process of demolition in pursuit of progressive urban ideas. As the board game’s rules claim, in The Game of Urban Renewal “you and your friends can do all the things that are done in a modern city’s cut-throat urban planning office”.
In play, a straightforward set of rules guides relatively random actions. First, everyone assumes a role, ranging from Mayor to Developer, Academic Urban Theorist to Garbage Man. Any number of people can play, and the game does not end until players want it to. Taking turns around the board, each player spins the Decision Engine Wheel to guide their action: build something, such as a condominium, school or park; draw a Planning Directive Card; or, demolish whatever you like from the current board. This “Bulldozer” demolition action is one of the most interesting, as it draws attention to the real-life pattern that inspired Trevisan to create the game.
The game forces players to make drastic decisions for their city’s future, and subtly cautions against the heavy-handed approach. In this way, rather than directly intervening in actual ongoing development in Toronto, the game instead takes a step back and aims to illustrate and familiarise its players with larger urban trends. In the process, it raises both awareness as well as questions concerning the effectiveness and sustainability of this new urban model centred on continuous renewal.
