Some years back I was involved in a discussion in New Urbanist circles about the urban planning/urban policy simulation game SimCity. I never really played the game, but it did intrigue me.
I recently read that the SimCity source code had been released under the GNU Public License (GPL), and that a version would be included in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC). The free and open source version has been named Micropolis. This is a very exciting development, as it opens up the code to improvements and extensions. Since it's being included in the OLPC, it also has the potential to extend education on urban planning issues to a younger audience internationally.
I've been navigating through installation of the software over the past two evenings (not very successfully thus far). When I get it running I'll post my notes about how I got it running, and my initial experiences with the game.
In the meantime here are a few links about Micropolis:
Micropolis Source Code and Development Page on Google Code
Don Hopkins blog, with an article on the future of Micropolis
Hi Larry,
I would like to speak to you a bit about Maynard Jackson's contribution to the development of Inman Park. Could you email me? I will respond quickly and would enjoy spending a few minutes together talking. I hope you can find some time to help me.
Thanks
Brooke Edmond
Posted by: Brooke Jackson Edmond | March 31, 2008 at 09:27 PM