Residents play board game to help shape Charlotte’s future

(Participants play the “Growing Better Places: A More Equitable and Inclusive Charlotte” board game at POTIONS & PIXELS’ Gaming For Charlotte event at The Park Church on Beatties Ford Roa – Photo by Grant Baldwin)

On August 1st, residents from across our community gathered for “Gaming for Charlotte,” a special event focused on the newly released board game from Charlotte’s Planning, Design & Development Department called Growing Better Places. The event was hosted by POTIONS & PIXELS, the Planning, Design & Development Department, and a wide variety of community partners, including Sustain Charlotte!

(Charlotte City Planning Director Taiwo Jaiyeoba speaks at POTIONS & PIXELS’ Gaming For Charlotte event at The Park Church on Beatties Ford Roa – Photo by Grant Baldwin)

Growing Better Places: A More Equitable and Inclusive Charlotte was developed to be a fun, interactive way to get feedback from the community about the future of Charlotte as part of the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan process. The game places groups of players in the roles of city planners, who must respond to the needs of the community as it rapidly grows. Teams work together to allocate the projected number of housing units and jobs for Charlotte in 2040 in an equitable and economically viable way. Players are charged with ensuring that new development results in benefits for existing and new residents. To this end, players can plan for the development of such things as parks, transit, and walkable mixed-use communities.

(Photo by Grant Baldwin)

After each game, participants fill out surveys to provide feedback. City staff also take photos of the game board each team creates. In September, city planners and consultants will use all of this feedback and data to help develop growth strategies for the Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan, a plan that will guide how our city grows and how we invest in our city over the next 20 years.

(Garet Johnson, Assistant Director of Planning/Project Manager of Charlotte Future 2040 Comprehensive Plan (bottom left) talks with participants as they play the “Growing Better Places: A More Equitable and Inclusive Charlotte” board game at POTIONS & PIXELS’ Gaming For Charlotte event at The Park Church on Beatties Ford Roa – Photo by Grant Baldwin)

Our Take

We are really excited that our city government decided to utilize an innovative board game to illicit feedback and engage the community. Growing Better Places provides players with a better understanding of the challenges our community faces as it grows by simulating the decisions our community must make.