Cards Against Urbanity Are Rude, Crude and Help Us Learn About Urban Planning
From counting city trees and reporting potholes to voting on the design of a playground or hotel, individuals today have more opportunities to influence the state of their local community than ever before. Dedicated to supporting community participation, the folks from GreaterPlaces and DoTankDC created Cards Against Urbanity, a unique and fun method for furthering this form of city planning.
Cards Against Urbanity is very similar to the games it was modeled after, including Cards Against Humanity and Apples to Apples; however, the content for this game cleverly integrates language and ideas specifically for today’s architect and urban planner. While the original set was produced in part as a fun alternative for discussing some of the less entertaining aspects of city planning, the project that launched over a year ago has now led to some interesting next steps.
Since the cards’ original content featured industry jargon, GreaterPlaces found it necessary to add a printable “cardsplation” document to the mix to clarify all of the terms, giving outsiders the chance to better understand planning concepts that sometimes affect their communities.
This educational component to the original inspired the card-makers’ next project: They are now designing City Design Method Cards, a deck of cards depicting urban design terms, methods and solutions communicated through clear descriptions and visuals. Not only will the cards help community stakeholders better understand certain concepts–like Missing Middle Housing and woonerfs–but it also helps professionals at the beginning stages of the planning process to organize their thoughts.
While Cards for Urbanity were only “officially” printed once, you can still print your own set with this free download; you can also find out more about City Design Method Cards on GreaterPlaces website.
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