Townscraper, a new "casual town building" game earned good reviews among early adopters this summer.
Marie Patino shares news of a game called Townscraper that is getting great reviews and will appeal to the city building instincts of planners and urban designers.
Users say they enjoy Townscaper’s calm ambiance, with no background music apart from the occasional plips and plops of material falling into the digital ocean, and they derive particular pleasure from the simple mechanics of the game — left click: you build something, right click: you destroy it.
Patino's coverage includes soundbites and insight from the game's creator, Oskar Stalberg, who describes Townscraper as a toy, rather than a video game. The inspiration from children's books illustrators, like illustrators Jan Loof and Sven Nordqvist, is also obvious, along with the work of the Japanese Studio Ghibli.
"The buildings in Townscaper are inspired by the architecture of Scandinavian cities like Stockholm, Malmo, Uppsala and Copenhagen, where houses are often made of colorful brick and stone, but also by Italian hilltop towns," adds Patino to describe the colorful and playful aesthetic of the game.
The game costs $5.99 and is defined by a lack of check-ins and goal-oriented tasks as common in other games that have achieved high levels of popularity during the pandemic (e.g., Sims 4 and Animal Crossing).
FULL STORY: Come Build Your Own Empty Town

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Washington Legislature Passes Rent Increase Cap
A bill that caps rent increases at 7 percent plus inflation is headed to the governor’s desk.

From Planning to Action: How LA County Is Rethinking Climate Resilience
Chief Sustainability Officer Rita Kampalath outlines the County’s shift from planning to implementation in its climate resilience efforts, emphasizing cross-departmental coordination, updated recovery strategies, and the need for flexible funding.

New Mexico Aging Department Commits to Helping Seniors Age ‘In Place’ and ‘Autonomously’ in New Draft Plan
As New Mexico’s population of seniors continues to grow, the state’s aging department is proposing expanded initiatives to help seniors maintain their autonomy while also supporting family caregivers.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Ada County Highway District
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service