A contest inspired by 'SimCity' gives middle-schoolers a taste of the complexities of city planning -- and the fun of making a perfect place
"There's no telling how the careers of Adam Meyer, Cory Li and Samantha Powers will evolve, but in recent weeks they've gotten a pretty good taste of what it might be like to be a civil engineer, urban planner or city manager." "The trio of seventh-graders, along with collaborators, represented Raleigh's Ligon Middle School in North Carolina's first Future City competition. The contest uses the computer game "SimCity 3000" to warm students up to the idea of designing and building a city."
Thanks to Christian Peralta
FULL STORY: Fun city -- serious learning

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
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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.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
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City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions