Gaming Approach Route 26: a Combination of Computer Simulation, Design Tools and Social Interaction

Many policy problems in the field of urban planning and traffic management are to be characterized as ?ill structured problems?, i.e. there is little consensus about ?goals and facts?. The policy making process for such problems is a learning process, a continuous search for acceptable goals and relevant knowledge. In the past year we have been asked to help facilitate a policy making process, aimed at solving such an ?ill structured problem?: the congestion problems in and around middle scale cities which are also faced with a substantial challenges for spatial planning. In our workshop design we used gaming techniques combined with a traffic simulation modell (Paramics) and our spatial designing tool Smartmap which is facilitated with an interactive white board (Smartboard). The simulation workshop was successfully tried out on a group of representatives who are usually involved in regional traffic and planning problems. Representatives of the national government as well as Chamber of Commerce, environmental groups, local governments, transportation enterprises, employers and consumer organizations were present, each playing a different role. We used a fictional, non existing region (Maasmere) and fictitious roles. Yet the simulated problems in this region and the present roles in the game are derived from real life sitautions and thus recognizable for the participants. In short, Spelaanpak Route 26 (in english Gaming approach Route 26) uses computer simulation and designing tools for which input is generated by the social interaction between group members. They have to negotiate the input for the simulation runs and for the spatial designs. The experiences of this try out are being used to improve and sharpen our design. E.G. we have learned that the planning focus (short term vs. long term) is a crucial bottleneck in solving the problems described above. In the improved version of the simulation workshop, the short term and long term planning assignments haven been given a more important place. It is our aim to apply our simulation workshop to a real situation: a Dutch region with actual congestion and planning problems which solution involve a pluriform participation from the policy network. In our opinion the simulation workshop can play a role in the policy process phase of problemstructuring. The simulation approach will lead to identification of the main policy issues: what are the percieved problems, can we reach an agreement on what our problem is, what are possible and acceptable policy options, and so on.