Lessons for Urban Planning in 2016—From SimCity 2000

A tech writer had a chance to revisit SimCity 2000 after years away from the game for contemporary lessons in planning.

1 minute read

June 25, 2016, 9:00 AM PDT

m01229 / Flickr

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

Monday, June 13, 2016 in Inverse

Technology World SimCity 2000 games Planning Games SimCity View More

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

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