Ekos

Ekos: The Path to Resilience is a multiplayer board game that challenges a group of six community members to come together and envision a more equitable and sustainable City of Ekos in the face of climate change and other challenges. Each player takes on the role of a community actor - City Council Speaker, a Community Organizer, a City Planner, an Ecologist, a Designer, and a Modeler - with a specific mission that players must achieve while responding to event cards and acquiring resources to build resilient systems. The goal is for actors to work collaboratively to build a network of resilient systems and use resources wisely on a quest to create a more sustainable and equitable City of Ekos.

Who is this For?: students, public administration, local communities, policy makers, designers, planners and architects

Created by: The Urban Systems Lab at The New School

Genre: simulation, role-playing game, serious game

Number of players: 2 - 6 players; Ages 8+

Duration: 1-2 hours

Languages: English (Spanish/Español coming soon!)

Benefits: Players will learn about many climate impacts and adaptation options. Players are encouraged to discuss urban complexity and how social, ecological, and technological systems interact. Players will better understand how green infrastructure and nature-based solutions can address integrated urban ecological and social challenges, and gain experience in analyzing real-world scenarios through ‘resilience thinking’.

Game Focus: Designing and building resilient cities, systems thinking, collaboration, exploring issues of equity, climate change, green infrastructure, participatory design, and climate adaptation

Rules and tutorial videos available at ekosgame.com

Ekos: The Path to Resilience was developed by the Urban Systems Lab, an interdisciplinary research, design and practice space founded by Timon McPhearson that provides insight into developing more equitable, resilient, and sustainable cities. Game concept developed by Ryann Abunuwara, Claudia Tomateo and Chris Kennedy. Graphic design by Claudia Tomateo. Content for the game informed by the Urban Resilience to Extreme-related Weather Events Sustainability Research Network (URExSRN) and the Converging Social, Ecological, and Technological Infrastructure Systems (SETS) for Urban Resilience project with support provided by the National Science Foundation (Grants No. 1934933 and 1444755).