Block'hood: Biophilic Urbanism Simulator and the Possible Impact of Smart Data on Design

"Block’hood is a neighborhood-building simulator that celebrates the diversity and experimentation of cities and the unique ecosystems within them."

Plethora Project

Block'hood is a bit like Lego. It gives you all the blocks, and just lets you play with them however you wish. But it comes with consequences.

Marketed as a neighbourhood-building simulator, Block'hood actually goes a lot further, implementing a resource driven approach that highlights key relationships between humans, nature and the cities we live in.

For example, you can't build an apartment block without electricity, and this electricity requires money to generate, and to generate money you need x, y or z, etc. This resource loop means that any blocks that lack resources will go into decline, triggering a chain reaction that could see your neighbourhood descend into dystopia.

Although the game mechanic is primarily a balancing act for resources, it raises important questions. The fight for space and resources reflect many urban issues that exist, with regards to density, nature degradation, energy, pollution, biodiversity etc. and forces you, the player to make tough choices and learn from the consequences.

"The game is both an educational and research initiative exploring the connection between games and architecture, contributing to a form of digital infrastructure for the ecological and systems thinking that is necessary in contemporary urbanism."

Plethora Project

Personally, I found that I was constantly monitoring the data and ensuring that I had all the resources in balance, at times at the expense of the aesthetic and layout of what I had planned in my head. The resource loops and systems within the game prevented me from just building whatever I wanted, but at the same time, possibly limited my vision to ensure I met the resource demands.

As smart data and technology becomes increasingly pervasive within city monitoring and smart city design, Block'hood offers a glimpse of how we, as designers, may respond to the information we receive, and continue to challenge the design of sustainable, yet beautiful buildings and cities.

Experiment with Block'hood on Steam