• The walkable, urban world of Pokemon

    The game celebrates art, architecture, and culture, so businesses near cultural landmarks have a better chance of having PokéStops, which is what you need to be able to place a lure.
    “Mom, I need to walk 10k today,” coming from my 11-year old this morning almost gave me whiplash, as I turned to look at him to ensure an alien wasn’t inhabiting his body. In fact, there was one, if you view Pokémon as other-worldly. The playful new video game, Pokémon GO, is distracting kids and...Read more

  • Cards for urbanity

    It all started as a snarky card game, but now we are discovering that playing cards can be an important tool for urban planning.
    It all started as a snarky card game. It was a hobby project among friends searching for a creative outlet. So, with permission from the original game developers at Cards Against Humanity, we created Cards Against Urbanity , hit our KickStarter funding goals, shipped product to 800 backers, and...Read more

  • Placemaking vs. placeshaking

    Writing about successful neighborhood planning, my friend and colleague Howard Blackson used the term “placeshaker” as a catch-all for the grass roots engagement efforts that empower, but don’t necessarily define, placemaking. That got me thinking. Even though our firm is called PlaceMakers and our...Read more