A tech writer had a chance to revisit SimCity 2000 after years away from the game for contemporary lessons in planning.
Neel V. Patel writes about lessons offered by a revisit to SimCity 2000, a source of obsession that launched many planning careers. According to Patel, the game feels "innocent" compared to the innovations and realizations that have taken place since the game was released. "SimCity 2000 arrived before the effects of climate change, before technology began to revolutionize city services, before the housing bubble popped, and before Uber," writes Patel.
Patel writes of the result of an experiment with two pre-made maps that task players with the effects of disaster scenarios. The first: flooding caused by rising sea levels in Charleston, South Carolina. The second, in typical SimCity style: an alien invasion of Atlanta.
Lessons taken from the experiment include the tendency of cities to rebuild with a goal of reliving former glory, rather than preparing for future needs.
FULL STORY: 'SimCity 2000' Teaches 2016 Urban Planners to Reconsider Rebuilding, Alien Attacks
New Planning Games Focuses on Consensus Building
A new game called Imaginable Guidelines invites participants to imagine, explore, discuss, and share their vision for the future.
Sunday Fun: New Video Game Explains Land Use Politics
We're not sure if planners will find this game, since it's so close to real life, but maybe it will make a good recommendation for friends and family members?
The Not-So-Great Lessons of SimCity
A game encountered as a youth has brought many adults to the ranks of professional planning. What, then, is the legacy of the lessons offered by SimCity and its brethren?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
End Human Sacrifices to the Demanding Gods of Automobile Dependency and Sprawl
The U.S. has much higher traffic fatality rates than peer countries due to automobile dependency and sprawl. Better planning can reduce these human sacrifices.
Seattle Transit Asked to Clarify Pet Policy
A major dog park near a new light rail stop is prompting calls to update and clarify rules for bringing pets on Seattle-area transit systems.
Oregon Bill Would End Bans on Manufactured Housing
The bill would prevent new developments from prohibiting mobile homes and modular housing.
Nashville Doesn’t Renew Bike Share Contract, Citing Lost Federal Funding
The city’s bike share system, operated by BCycle, could stop operating if the city doesn’t find a new source of funding.
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.
Tyler Technologies
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions