Urban planning board game: A cooperative serious game

Incessant media reports concerning urban corruption, especially in Spain, are turning urban planning into an infernal activity. Urban planning decisions can have direct effects on the lives of residents in certain areas. It is therefore a highly complex activity, in practice, for planners, construction firms, lawyers, and municipal agents, whose roles will often overlap. The majority of students studying different aspects of Construction at the Faculty of Engineering of Bilbao are unaware of these intricate relations and as they own no land, have little idea of land management. The attitudes of many students even reveal certain prejudices with regard to land management, which often makes them reluctant to follow course modules on the topic. Hence, the central idea of this study: a board game that introduces students to the social components of urbanism and the laws and regulations on urban land management that must be followed. The players become land owners in the game with responsibility for designing new (residential, industrial, and commercial) zones in an equitable and sustainable manner. Consequently, they learn first-hand that they cannot freely decide on land use, but must respond to collectively agreed rules. In addition, a proportional part of the land is requisitioned as an urban open space, with no financial compensation in exchange. Finally, they realize that equitable reparceling will lead to a coherent distribution of the available building plots. In addition to a remarkable level of perceived innovation and enjoyment during the game, the results of the final survey also reflected the active attitudes of students, showing positive behavioral intentions for future participation in Game-Based Learning activities. Interestingly, the survey results suggested that those same positive attitudes were not present in all subjects during the academic year. In the opinion of most students, teachers could show greater acceptance of game-based learning and greater willingness to use it.