Looking for a Kickstart: City Design Method Cards

The same team that created Cards Against Urbanity is back with an eagerly anticipated new engagement product called City Design Method Cards.

2 minute read

March 16, 2016, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Lisa Nisenson, co-founder of Greater Places, recently announced the launch of a Kickstarter campaign to support the development of City Design Method Cards.

City Design Method Cards are designed to provide a portable conversation starter (available in print and as a mobile app) to help raise the level of awareness about the objects and ideas involved in the city design and planning process.

The team at Greater Places, along with Do Think DC, is also the creative genius behind the Cards Against Urbanity game that shot to instant popularity when released in 2014. As detailed in a 2015 article in Next City, Greater Places applied the lessons learned from Cards Against Urbanity in the hopes of creating a new, more positive (i.e., less satirical) product. Voilà: the City Design Method Cards.

As Nisenson explains in the video announcing the Kickstarter campaign: "Millions of people step up to the city design table each week. People from civic associations, the public works department, the mayor, PTAs, engineering firms, architects, homeowners' associations, chambers of commerce." According to Nisenson, however, all those potential participants are challenged by the lack of a centralized and comprehensive resource for learning and understanding more about city design. "None of those resources we have are engaging or visual or organized, and they don't meet people where they are on the learning curve," explains Nisenson.

The City Design Method Cards aims to fulfill that badly needed role for all kinds of potential city designers. Included on the menu of City Design Methods are general terms like Planning Methods, Parking, and Economic Development, along with more buzz-friendly terms like Tactical Urbanism and Resilience. As an example of cards explaining specific examples of each of those City Design Methods comprise the deck, the project's Kickstarter page displays an image of the Bioswales card from the Green Infrastructure City Design Method.

The Kickstarter launched yesterday, March 15, and offers the traditional menu of support options—varying from $5 to $4,800. Delivery is anticipated for October 2016. Future refinements include the possibility of locally relevant examples and other features that expand the power of the deck and the platform.

Tuesday, March 15, 2016 in Planetizen

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

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 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

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

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of new neifhborhood under construction with enpty lots in foreground.

In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won

A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.

July 2 - CALmatters

Low-rise Pearl Sreet mall in Boulfer, Colorado.

Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide

Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.

July 2 - Boulder Reporting Lab

Two-story buildings with porches in walkable Florida neighborhood.

Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code

The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.

July 2 - CNU Public Square