In a new video game, the player is a no-good raccoon wreaking havoc on the world around him.
Ben Esposito’s new video game, Donut County, is an allegory about gentrification. A raccoon named BK lives to “meet the locals, steal their trash, and throw them in a hole.” But, as Liz Ohanesian explains, that is only until he finds himself on the other side:
When BK and his friend Mira are also swallowed by the hole, they end up at an underground campfire, confronted by those whose lives the raccoon has ruined. One by one, the displaced tell their tales as they try to make BK realize that he’s a douchebag with no regard for anything more than his own material gain.
Esposito developed the game after living in Brooklyn and then Los Angeles and realizing his own role in displacing people. He is BK, a representation of the high-income tech worker moving in and forever changing a neighborhood.
The goal of the game is to get BK to understand the consequences of taking over everything in sight along with his raccoon buddies, led by the Trash King. Ultimately, says Esposito, Donut County is about how technology and money perpetuate and magnify the gentrification of cities.
FULL STORY: This New Video Game Is an Allegory for Gentrification in L.A.
The Winners and Losers of Atlanta’s Transformation
The city has reinvented itself in many ways, but its residents are not reaping those benefits equally.
Revealed: Inequality And Urban Flight Were Products Of The Federal Government.
If you believe sprawl just magically happened, here's something that visually suggests otherwise.
Neighborhood Polarization in a Canadian City
In Canadian cities, rising income inequality has been reflected in neighborhood polarization. The experience of Hamilton, Ontario, has been typical. Here, inner-city decline is now giving way to gentrification, displacing poverty to the suburbs.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)