How do you inspire policymakers to create innovative global transportation policy? Through play! In Spring 2015, we designed an interactive experience in multiple cities around the world, using public transit as the gameboard. Hundreds of transportation experts took part in a transportation-themed game played in Istanbul, Bangkok and DC simultaneously. The results were both hilarious and profound.
Have you ever seen policymakers do the funky chicken in the metro? Or coordinate The Wave on a vintage tram? Or write love letters to rickshaw drivers? Before this game, we hadn’t either. But two hours of gaming around the world produced some epic moments of creativity, problem-solving, discovery & delight.
Working closely with the client’s source materials, we designed a game that would bring key policy concepts to life. The game was built to collect public insights and cultivate memorable learning moments with special emphasis on urban planning, geospatial tools, social welfare, risk management, & cultural heritage protection.
In the course of the game, players traveled throughout their respective cities using local public transportation. They interviewed commuters, assessed disaster preparedness strategies, analyzed accessibility, solved puzzles and developed new ideas. Their tasks ranged from simple to complex, and touched on issues related to social inclusion, community resilience, civic engagement and government accountability.
