As part of the University of Kassel’s Campus Festival on May 21, 2026, researchers presented their current projects on and around the Holländischer Platz campus and invited visitors to actively engage with science. The Department of Economics of Urban and Regional Development also took part in the event, offering participants the opportunity to step into the role of urban planners themselves. At the “CityMaker:Desk”, visitors were able to explore a specially adapted version of the city-building game "TheoTown". Through gameplay, they encountered the diverse challenges involved in the development and design of cities. In particular, the interactions between different urban demands and the integration of sustainability goals highlighted the complexity of urban planning processes.

The game is part of ongoing research that investigates the potential of digital games as learning tools for sustainable urban development.

Anyone interested in learning more about the game and the research behind it is warmly invited to join the upcoming game nights of the “Dice, Dungeons & Durable Development” series. Together, participants explore what digital and analogue games can teach us about sustainable urban development and how playful approaches can help make complex planning processes more accessible and understandable.

More information about the series can be found here.