White House Urban Affairs Agenda Based on Late-Night Sim City Game

It has been revealed that the White House's Urban Affairs Agenda is entirely based on a late-night round of the computer game "Sim City", played by President Barack Obama and Urban Affairs Secretary Adolfo Carrion.

1 minute read

April 1, 2009, 2:00 PM PDT

By Planetizen


A Secret Service agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told reporters President Obama and Secretary Carrion were up past 3 a.m., crouched around a laptop on the Oval Office floor, playing Sim City.

"They had their pajamas on and they could not stop giggling. I must have brought them four glasses of milk each," the agent said of the late-night event.

The two men reportedly reveled in the placement of houses in their Sim City, trying to see whose neighborhood would be "the coolest". Boisterous laughter erupted in the room at one point when President Obama let loose a tornado and earthquake on Secretary Carrion's neighborhood, completely destroying it.

"They were dropping houses and factories in that city like it was a rainstorm," another agent reported. "I don't even think they knew what they were doing. It was just click-click-click all night."

The late-night game session was dutifully recorded by Secretary Carrion, who immediately placed his crayon-written policy recommendations on the desk of the President, where it was promptly signed into law the next morning.

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

4 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

5 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

6 hours ago - Los Angeles Public Press