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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Michael Crilly, Dr Georgiana VarnaORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026 by the author(s). This systematic literature review examines the complex intersection of gamification and urban planning with particular attention to the interrelated fields of experimental urbanism, systems theory, digitalization of the urban planning system, game theory, and agent‐based modelling. As such, this article addresses the critical gap of an existing systematic and detailed literature review in this emerging area of using geogames in urban planning research and practice. The review synthesises both the available scholarship and related grey literature to understand how simulations and game‐based approaches are utilized in citizen engagement and urban planning policy. This article identifies the current priority themes in the application of gamification to urban planning through a temporal and thematic exploration of a mix of theoretical frameworks, empirical studies, practice‐based experiments, and software applications. This has been undertaken through a multi‐dimensional analysis of mixed academic and media databases. Moreover, it evaluates the effectiveness of urban simulations and game‐based planning interventions, highlighting the most promising areas for future applied research. The findings suggest that gamification and urban planning simulations represent a change in focus in planning theory and practice, offering new tools for participatory scenario‐based planning, urban analytics, and understanding or managing complex urban systems. The article concludes by highlighting current research gaps and proposing a dynamic future research agenda to advance the understanding and effective implementation of simulated approaches and geogames in urban design and planning.
Author(s): Crilly M, Varna G, Coaker A, Gibbon RC, Jackson J, McDonald NE, Smith DR
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Urban Planning
Year: 2026
Volume: 11
Online publication date: 02/03/2026
Acceptance date: 24/11/2025
Date deposited: 14/04/2026
ISSN (electronic): 2183-7635
Publisher: Cogitatio Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.17645/up.10780
DOI: 10.17645/up.10780
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