By Alec Appelbaum, The Atlantic City Lab
WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. -- Development is a tough word for many cities and towns because zoning, housing practices, environmental concerns, and other issues are raised in public meetings where proposals are often hotly debated.
In order to progress on some of its development challenges, Westchester County in New York is using a gaming platform to drive consensus. By building potential models with software, people can sit around a table and focus on potential solutions based on inputs and variables.
Westchester County, which has a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) consent decree to increase fair housing in 31 municipalities, people are finding that playing the game in forums called Community Design Institutes are helpful.
Stakeholders play different roles. Mike Blau, Tarrytown’s village manager, told City Lab that as the game progressed, “we all started working as a group.” The game, created by the company Tygron, helps people visualize changes and gives them an opportunity for instant feedback. The idea is the software will move the discussion along a lot faster.
William Morrish, an urban designer, suggested the role playing and visualizations might help Westchester County’s stakeholders find solutions. “Tools become performative rather than punitive—that’s the shift,” he told City Lab.
