Future City game is a team-based process designed to create new thinking and actions to improve quality of life in cities.

The Future City Game stimulates new thinking in cities about ways to address the long-term challenges resulting from globalisation, migration, climate change, urbanisation and social needs. It encourages wider participation of organisations and individuals to make cities better, happier and more prosperous; and it creates a dialogue between the public sector and the inhabitants of the city.

The aim of the game is to generate the best idea on how to improve the quality of life either in a specific area within a city or, the city as a whole. It is played during a one- or two-day event. Players are city inhabitants from diverse backgrounds, representing various professions, genders and generations. The game is led by a trained games master. Players compete in teams to design, test and present their ideas. The games master gives players a set of tools to help them work together and develop ideas. He leads them through three stages - envisioning, testing and presenting. At the end of the game, the ideas are presented to the local stakeholders, professionals, residents, and each other. Everyone involved votes on the best ideas and thinks about how they can be taken forward in the city once the game has ended.

To date, the Future City Game has been played all across Europe, from Glasgow across Ljubljana to Moscow. The unique and innovative methodology for the Future City game was developed by the British Council and our UK partners (CLES – Centre for Local Economic Strategies; URBIS – Manchester’s Centre of Urban Life). You can find more about the Future City Game development here.

If you would like to play the game in your city, contact your local licensed organisation or games master.