Since its introduction in academia and professional practice during the 1950s, gaming has been linked to simulation. Although both fields have a few important characteristics in common, they are distinct in their form and underlying theories of knowledge and methodology. Nevertheless, in the literature, hybrid terms such as "gaming/simulation" and…

Presents three learning strategies used in planning education to demonstrate the connection between knowledge and action and to link classroom and field. Described are: (1) the use of descriptive material on city life; (2) group exercises with case studies; and (3) simulations. (Author/WB)

The Institute for the Future offered a course in urban simulation at Wesleyan University (Conn.). The course, described here, asked the class to create its own urban simulation, based on Middletown, Conn., and to play the simulation themselves. This paper describes the structure of the simulation, reviews some of its results, and illustrates the…

Students solve the dilemma of planning for a decent standard of living while protecting the quality of our environment. Students act out the roles of members of a simple economy: producers, consumers, resource developers, environmental planners. An instructor's manual describes equipment, time needed, and steps for playing. (AV)

Published materials that have proven useful in the design of the Institute For The Future's first urban simulation model are listed. References include publications dealing with (1) simulations and games, (2) urban and regional models, (3) educational gaming, (4) research and planning applications, (5) methodological perspectives, and (6)…

Summary descriptions of selected urban simulations and games that have been developed outside the Institute For The Future are presented. The operating characteristics and potential applications of each model are described. These include (1) the history of development, (2) model and player requirements, (3) a description of the environment being…

It is time that sociology made use of the increasingly popular teaching device of linking computer simulation and gaming. It is needed because in teaching courses in urban sociology, human ecology, and urban planning, we have found that: a) most class exercises present the community as a statis phenomenon; b) there is no quick and easy way to…

Asserts that a common problem facing educators is finding suitable pedagogical tools that capture the realities of cities in developing countries. Presents a role-playing simulation exercise that supplements and complements the case study approach to this topic. (CFR)

Reviews recent literature on urban politics and urban policy. Focuses on issues faced by cities of the 1990s: city planning, growth, politics, problems of housing, homelessness, cost of government, racial, and ethnic conflicts. Suggests that field trips and computer simulations can be used in college courses in urban studies. (CH)