Like many other cities in Italy, Udine has faced aging of its population and a decline of births over the past decades. To tackle this issue and enhance its attractiveness, the municipality had an astonishing idea: to make the city playful. This innovative public policy promotes playing everywhere in the city through different actions such as street games and gamification events, playing activities in school, Ludobus, or a toy library.
Games are not only meant for children. Certain activities are for elders to stimulate an active lifestyle. Healthy games are provided in public establishments to challenge gambling addiction.
Willing to share its experience, Udine took the leadership of “Playful paradigm”, a transfer network impulsed and managed by the EU co-funded program URBACT. It aims to adapt and reuse the playful approach developed in Udine in other 7 European cities. After four years of experimentation, the members published a final report that gathered resources, analysis, and stories to share with other cities how to include play and gamification in their local urban development.
