Thanks to 'Brand New Subway,' New Yorkers frustrated by their city's subway finally have a method of recourse that doesn't start and end with quietly stewing while they ride the bus to get from the Upper East Side to the Upper West Side. The interactive browser game lets users either adapt the current metro system or create a new one entirely from scratch.
The game was designed by Jason Wright for 'The Power Broker' competition, a game design competition in honor of Robert Moses, a famed New York City urban planner from the early 20th century. In sticking to its real-world urban planning roots, the game automatically assesses its users' subway systems and assigns them a letter grade based on ridership and fare price. The game uses data gleaned from census reports and other transport information to predict how riders would actually use the fictional system. Think of it as 'Sim City' but for the actual NYC subway system.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Interactive Urban Planning
- 'Brand New Subway' is a browser game that allows users to adapt and create their own versions of NYC subway, giving an opportunity for interactive urban planning.
- Gamification of City Design
- 'Brand New Subway' is a gamification of city design that can revolutionize the way urban planning is perceived and executed.
- Data-driven Transit Design
- Brand New Subway's use of data gleaned from census reports and other transport information predicts how riders would actually use the fictional system, presenting an opportunity for data-driven transit design.
Sectors Adopting This
- Gaming
- The success of 'Brand New Subway' can inspire the gaming industry to further explore the concept of gamification for urban planning purposes.
- Urban Planning
- The emergence of 'Brand New Subway' can disrupt the traditional way of urban planning, promoting a new approach of design
- Transportation
- Using data-driven approach to design transit system, 'Brand New Subway' can disrupt the transportation industry with its interactive and innovative solution.
