Playable City® puts people and play at the heart of the Future City. 

All over the world governments and tech companies are investing in smart systems for cities, using networks and sensors to join up services and collect data, as a drive for efficiency. The Playable City Programme asks us to imagine instead how might we make them more livable, open and human. 

Playable City is a framework to think differently about the city, generating a social dialogue by creating shared experiences through play. Visible, democratic, surprising, inclusive – it re-uses the city infrastructure to create connections – person to person, person to city. By transforming city spaces into places of unexpected interaction the Playable City is a conversation starter towards the change we would like to see in our cities of the future.

Watershed's international Playable City programme consists of an Annual Global Award,  international sprints, a biennial conference and a global network. 

“Playable city ideas are a human response to the coldness and anonymity of the urban environment. By encouraging activities that bring joy, we can create a happier, more cohesive urban future” The Guardian