Super Barrio: A video game to boost participatory design available on Google Play

Developed as Participatory NBS by IAAC (Barcelona) as part of the URBiNAT project, SuperBARRIO is a video game that has been designed specifically with a view to boosting participatory design processes, notably in connection with the selection and co-implementation of Nature-Based Solutions. Developed as an open source video game for smartphones and tablets, it is a tool for architects and public entities to engage citizens in the design of public spaces, to raise awareness about sustainability issues, promote inclusiveness, and collect data about citizen’s needs, desires and proposals.

The SuperBARRIO app is a flexible tool that can be applied to different neighbourhoods. As part of the URBiNAT project it has been used in the Frontrunner cities of Porto, Nantes and Sofia.

With this digital enabler in support of the co-creation of Healthy Corridors, citizens – who need not be specialists, architects or designers – have at their disposal a tool design and visualise a proposal for the urban space.

SuperBARRIO allows users to visualise their neighbourhood in 3D and then to modify it, adding Technological, Territorial, Participatory, Social & Solidarity Economy Nature-Based Solutions from the URBiNAT NBS Catalogue. Each player can make a design proposal and visualise its impact, receiving a score about the categories of Nature, Wellbeing, Health, Mobility, Participation and Economy.

Each player can make a design proposal and visualise its impact, receiving a score about the categories of accessibility, economy, productivity, ecology and social interaction. As a result the player has a better understanding of the level of complexity of each decision related to the urban space and the different needs related to different functions.

The application collects data of each session on a server, building a database about the citizen’s desires, needs and proposal and allowing the data visualisation and analytics in a dashboard, accessible to citizens, architects and public entities.

SuperBARRIO can be downloaded on Android tablets and smartphones through the Google Play Store. Once downloaded it is possible to open the participatory process to more users than conventional analogue methodologies.

SuperBARRIO is a flexible and customisable tool, open to the application in different contexts. It is as simple as changing the urban 3D model.

Rules, score logic and data collection are all the same.

Downloads from Google Play

SuperBarrio (Français)

SuperBarrio (Português)

СуперКвартал (български)

Downloads from Google Play

• Click HERE for more information on SuperBARRIO in the URBiNAT NBS Catalogue
• Click HERE for articles on SuperBarrio and the URBiNAT approach to Digital Enablers
• To download the Super Barrio NBS Card click ↙️