Streets4People! – a stakeholder workshop role play for local groups
Edited on
22 July 2022Gamification proves to be a good option to put more interest and more fun to stakeholder involvement activities. It delivers something new to participants and adds a play element to actually serious and difficult tasks: the work on changing something in the city to the better.
Within Space4People, we realised that stakeholder activities easily get controversial at topics like the use of public space. Especially if you put the use of public space for parking in question. Many use cases are present and try to claim their share of public space. And each use case is connected to respective stakeholder interests and needs. And quite often, these tend to be controversial at the first glance. Our cities had the experience that stakeholders’ diverse and also opposing interests are more vigorously broad to the discussion than expected and stay ‘hot’ over discussions and works. Our question out of that was: how to prepare local group work for this difficult work conditions? How can project leads, administrations but as well the stakeholders themselves get a better view on the different needs and interests? And a better understanding as well?
Right at the end of our story in Space4People, we produced our Card Game Streets4People! - a stakeholder workshop role play for local groups to give a little assistance in this. This game works as a role play simulating the project idea to redesign a street. Different stakeholders are present at the first initial meeting that aims to collect their ideas and needs. They all have their own roles. Their own interests. And their own arguments. To what should happen in the redesign and as well what must not happen. Take a look what the retailer, the owner of a café, residents, customers, employees, and schoolteachers have to say to the project lead who is in charge of the redesign and the participation that just starts with the meeting. And of course, the project lead has own interests, too!
We developed this game to support public administations, or local groups, or any people who are just at the start of a planning process to redesign a street. And who would like to get a glimpse at who they might meet over consultations and what their arguments might be. But the game might work as well for other planning purposes, not just a street redesign . Playing this game can give you and your colleagues indications on coming claims, conflicts but as well open and hidden common views of the different stakeholder groups present at the table.
If you are at the start of a planning process, of participation events, or you are still designing one of these or both: it is just the right time to play this game!
Below, you find both a PDF on the background description and instructions as well as a PDF for the playcards on the stakeholder roles. The playcards are ready to be cut out of the sheets and give it a go! We hope the game is of support to any town or city that wants to start redesign projects of streets but are not sure what reactions they might meet.
The game is free for use to anyone, don't be shy to pass it on to others!
Click here for the Background and Instructions!
Click here for the Playcard of the roles!
Submitted by Claus Kollinger on