Let’s Play for Power: Gamifying Urban Transformation in African Cities

Cities Imagine if transforming African cities was not just about navigating complex challenges but about unlocking collective imagination. What if residents and city officials were not merely responding to urban pressures but became active players in a creative game that empowers them to co-invest, co-design, and co-own the future of their cities? In this project, I explore how storytelling, game design, and digital tools can inspire residents and officials alike to co-invest in and co-create better African cities. Drawing on my work with local communities, mayors, researchers, and grassroots reformers through initiatives like the African Mayoral Leadership Initiative (AMALI), African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), Open Cities Lab, and the Miji Bora platform, I will reflect on what happens when cities centre care and community knowledge. The project builds on Pazuri, a fictional “City of Care” led by Mayor Asali, who embodies what is possible when African governance is creative and rooted in local realities. During my STIAS residency, I will write a manuscript and design a prototype civic game to mobilise crowdfunding and collaboration across real African cities. By blending narrative, systems thinking, and strategic design, this project aims to shift city-making from elite-driven reform to playful, people-powered transformation.