Dérive: an exploration of critical play for urban place-making

This proposal invites participants to playfully explore public areas using a flexible activity called the derive. We seek to chart new directions for exploratory games as a method for constructive placemaking. The derive allows for a playful way to elicit multilayered meanings that residents and visitors ascribe to the urban landscape. This has the advantage of furthering discourse on matters of interest to urban planners and civic organisations. We are especially interested in the exploration of African cosmopolitan spaces as platforms of play and the dynamics of player sensibilities within these environments.