Homeward: ULI’s New Simulation Game for Attainable Housing
Homeward: ULI’s New Simulation Game for Attainable Housing
Homeward: ULI’s New Simulation Game for Attainable Housing
Sibley Fleming
June, 2, 2025
Summary
Homeward is a board game developed by ULI Boston to teach players about housing development trade-offs in suburban contexts. Players, working in teams, design communities on a blank slate, drawing goal cards focused on sustainability, mobility, and affordability. The game uses simplified real-world financial models and includes scenarios like zoning changes or funding shifts. Unlike the longer UrbanPlan, Homeward is playable in under two hours. It targets community members likely to attend public meetings and emphasizes Massachusetts’s housing challenges. Pilot sessions have taken place, and future versions will add complexity, including “disruptor” cards and funding mechanisms, with hopes for broader adoption.
Reference
Fleming, S. (2025, June 2). Homeward: ULI’s new simulation game for attainable housing. Urban Land. https://urbanland.uli.org/design-planning/urban-and-regional-planning/homeward-ulis-new-simulation-game-for-attainable-housing