The Game of Planning

The Housing Estate Game, an urban planning game, card game and board game – the result of two years of work as a supervisor of the Urbanmodel research group. The test of the game’s prototype for the first time was surprising at first, but after verification and playing the game together I think it is a good idea to implement didactics through games.

The Housing Estate Game is made up of two decks of dedicated cards and a set of boards, and with the help of these you can simulate the development process of a settlement area. The cards represent the different cases of possible development of a one-hectare site Cards have been arranged cumulatively according to the density of development. Different colors approaches/expectations are represented by the different decision-makers in the planning process (diamonds-developer, spades-ecologist, hearts-resident, clubs-planner). The implementation of a 2D deck (which allows for the laying out of estate plans) and a twin 3D deck (with models of housing complexes) and QR codes – links to the 3D models that can be displayed on a smartphone – should be considered innovative. The 3D deck also shows the values of urban indicators specific to each ensemble. The set of cards and the boards are useful in didactics for classes related to the field of architecture and urban planning for different age groups without specialised knowledge and experience. The combination of two decks of 2D and 3D cards and the reference to digital models through links to model pages and through augmented and virtual reality models allows for the creation of interaction in both the real and digital worlds at the same time. The estate game offers entertainment at different levels for use as a card game, a puzzle game or an urban planning game. The cards and boards used in the game are registered industrial designs and utility models, which is worthy of recognition, especially since it is a work co-created by students. On the basis of the game, a multi-author compact publication entitled Housing Estate Game was published. The Housing Estate Game with a description of the dedicated games, its application possibilities and references to the existing literature in this area. The Housing Estate Game has been presented and tested in several centres, including the Faculty of Architecture at the Cesena campus, University of Bologna. According to the data on the game’s website www.housingestategame.polsl.pl, the game has received numerous recommendations from TUP o. Śląsk (Silesian branch of Polish Town Planners association), SARP ( Polish Architects Association) o. Katowice, PLGBC, (Polish green building council) IARP (Chamber of Polish Architects) Silesian Branch, WO SARP Sustainable Architecture Circle and a recommendations from Polish and foreign universities. The Housing Estate Game is a board game, that provides new entertainment possibilities for existing cards dedicated pawns, dice and card connectors were designed, which we realize in 3D printing the game was awarded a special prize and medal during the international Invention Fair INNOTARG in MCK Katowice. These confirm the high value of the game. Moreover it is worth appreciating that the game co-created by the professor together with his students has been patented and commercialized: the game can be purchased as a product in an online shop https://esklep.polsl.pl/shop-full-width/strona-glowna-2/gadzety/gra-w-osiedle/.

The Housing estate game has become a teaching aid used at the Faculty of Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology and beyond, a game created by students with a view to teaching differently. There were touches of joy, there were no winners and there were no losers because, after all, in the game of urban space there are rules, but the goal of the game is to understand them.

Book sheet

Author: Daria Bal, Tomasz Bradecki, Błażej Mól, Marta Sanigórska
Title: Housing Estate Game
Subtitle: Cards game, urban design game, board game
Language: Polish and English
Publisher: Silesian University of Technology
Characteristics: Box containing a board card game
ISBN: 9788378809678
Year: 2024