{"id":48,"date":"2018-04-05T16:41:14","date_gmt":"2018-04-05T20:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/?p=48"},"modified":"2018-06-26T13:05:16","modified_gmt":"2018-06-26T17:05:16","slug":"open-streets-festivals-tap-into-pokemon-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-go\/open-streets-festivals-tap-into-pokemon-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Streets Festivals Tap Into Pok\u00e9mon GO"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- Final Tiles Grid Gallery for WordPress v3.6.13 free --><style>#ftg-22 .tile .icon { color:#ffffff; }#ftg-22 .ftg-items .loading-bar i { background:#666; }#ftg-22 .ftg-items .loading-bar { background:#fff; }#ftg-22 .tile .icon { font-size:12px; }#ftg-22 .tile .icon { margin: -6px 0 0 -6px; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.text { font-size:12px; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-outside .text-wrapper span.text { font-size:12px; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.title { font-size:14px; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-outside .text-wrapper span.title { font-size:14px; }#ftg-22 .tile { background-color: transparent; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.text { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-block .text-wrapper span.title { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-outside .text-wrapper span.text { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-outside .text-wrapper span.title { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-22 .tile .ftg-social a { color: #ffffff; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-block { transition-timing-function:linear; }#ftg-22 .tile .caption-block { transition-duration:0.25s; }#ftg-22 .tile .tile-inner:before { background-color: #000000; }#ftg-22 .tile .tile-inner:before { background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); }<\/style><a name=\"2\"><\/a><div class=\"final-tiles-gallery  ftg-hover-enabled caption-inside  caption-none caption-middle caption-center\" id=\"ftg-22\" style=\"width: 100%\"><div class='ftg-items'><div class='loading-bar'><i><\/i><\/div><div  class='tile ftg-preload  '><a title=\"Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.42.43 PM\" data-lightbox='ftg-22' rel='ftg-22'  class=' tile-inner  ftg-lightbox' href='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.42.43-PM.png' ><img alt='Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.42.43 PM' class='item skip-lazy' data-class='item' data-ftg-source='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.42.43-PM-300x172.png' src='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.42.43-PM-300x172.png' width='300' height='172' \/><span class='icon fa fa-zoom'><\/span><div class='caption-block'><div class='text-wrapper'><span class='title'>Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.42.43 PM<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a><div class='ftg-social'><\/div><\/div><div  class='tile ftg-preload  '><a title=\"Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.43.04 PM\" data-lightbox='ftg-22' rel='ftg-22'  class=' tile-inner  ftg-lightbox' href='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.43.04-PM.png' ><img alt='Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.43.04 PM' class='item skip-lazy' data-class='item' data-ftg-source='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.43.04-PM-236x300.png' src='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.43.04-PM-236x300.png' width='236' height='300' \/><span class='icon fa fa-zoom'><\/span><div class='caption-block'><div class='text-wrapper'><span class='title'>Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.43.04 PM<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a><div class='ftg-social'><\/div><\/div><div  class='tile ftg-preload  '><a title=\"Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.43.25 PM\" data-lightbox='ftg-22' rel='ftg-22'  class=' tile-inner  ftg-lightbox' href='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.43.25-PM.png' ><img alt='Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.43.25 PM' class='item skip-lazy' data-class='item' data-ftg-source='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.43.25-PM-300x184.png' src='https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Screen-Shot-2018-04-05-at-4.43.25-PM-300x184.png' width='300' height='184' \/><span class='icon fa fa-zoom'><\/span><div class='caption-block'><div class='text-wrapper'><span class='title'>Screen Shot 2018-04-05 at 4.43.25 PM<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/a><div class='ftg-social'><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<blockquote><p>Colorful chalk drawings, hundreds of people dressed in costume, miles of open space for biking, walking, and catching Pok\u00e9mon&#8230;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This is just a glimpse into what happens when a city combines an Open Streets festival with Pok\u00e9mon GO.<\/p>\n<p>In 2017, three experiments took place through a partnership between the Knight Foundation and Niantic &#8212; in <a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-report\/cities\/charlotte\/\">Charlotte<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-report\/cities\/san-jose\/\">San Jose<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-report\/cities\/philly-free-streets\/\">Philadelphia<\/a> &#8211; where each city remixed the game in their own unique way. This post highlights some key differences in the three cities.<\/p>\n<h1><b>Background: Remixing open streets<\/b><\/h1>\n<p><i>&#8220;When the streets shut down, the city opens up&#8221; &#8211; <\/i>a sentiment that has inspired hundreds of cities to host their own special events to bring communities together. With Pokemon GO, the host events we tracked were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/openstreets704.com\/about\/\">OpenStreets704<\/a>\u00a0(Charlotte, NC)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivacallesj.org\/\">VivaCalleSJ<\/a>\u00a0(San Jose, CA)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.phillyfreestreets.com\/\">Free Streets Philly<\/a>\u00a0(Philadelphia, PA)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019ve never been to an Open Streets event, picture several miles of streets closed for a day of bicycling and walking. Usually set in a downtown or central hub of a city, participants amble into restaurants, cafes, retail shops, and mingle with fellow residents. The experience creates a special kind of festival, and as San Jose officials declared, transforms the streets into the \u201clargest park in the city for a day.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So why experiment with Pok\u00e9mon GO on top of this? Well, for a fascinating variety of reasons. Some cities wanted more attendees. \u00a0Some wanted to mix social groups in new ways, like bikers with walkers &#8212; and hoped that Pok\u00e9mon GO could do that. Others wanted to experiment with technology and see if the data layer of their city could be brought into a live event. So what happened? \u00a0It starts with the map&#8230;<\/p>\n<h1><b>Paths<\/b> <b>to Unite<\/b><\/h1>\n<p>While each city produced an official map to outline the open streets route, they varied in design and their formal inclusion of Pok\u00e9mon-related information. Often, multiple versions of the map were created and distributed in digital spaces, including with player annotations.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_124\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-124\" style=\"width: 723px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-124 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/VivaCallePoGoMap.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"723\" height=\"371\" srcset=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/VivaCallePoGoMap.png 723w, https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/VivaCallePoGoMap-300x154.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-124\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Jose event map customized by reddit user UnknownStrife<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In <b>Charlotte<\/b>, a \u201cPok\u00e9Walk\u201d linked together 16 Pok\u00e9Stops and two gyms along a three-mile route between two parks with access to 11 neighborhoods. Chalk artists noted the locations of the temporary Pok\u00e9mon stops through sidewalk art (a trend that carried over to Akron and Philadelphia).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_536\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-536\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-536 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/charlottee-map-eco-counter-text-300x228.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/charlottee-map-eco-counter-text-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/charlottee-map-eco-counter-text.jpg 599w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-536\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">City staff used Google Maps to plan the secret hints that would be loaded into the game at key Pok\u00e9Stops<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In <b>San Jose<\/b>, a 7.2-mile route cut through the east side of downtown, comprised of 130 Pokestops, 25 gyms, and a Golden Raid Pass. Along the route, players could enter a free raffle for a chance to win a tour of Niantic\u2019s San Francisco Office. The four main activity hubs served as anchor locations for the event with additional music and cultural programming by local groups.<\/p>\n<p>In <b>Philadelphia<\/b>, a 7-mile round trip route connected Philadelphia\u2019s Historic District downtown to the North Philadelphia neighborhood of El Centro de Oro. Pok\u00e9mon GO players could participate in a Scavenger Hunt, which featured 10 booth locations along to path. (Different versions of the Scavenger Hunt took place <a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-report\/cities\/akron-ohio\/\">in Akron<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-report\/cities\/chester\/\">Chester<\/a> as well.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_67\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-67\" style=\"width: 334px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-67 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/PhillyNonPoGoMap.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"334\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/PhillyNonPoGoMap.png 334w, https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/PhillyNonPoGoMap-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-67\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Philadelphia\u2019s Official Open Streets Map.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68\" style=\"width: 328px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-68 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/PhillyPoGoMap-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/PhillyPoGoMap-1.png 328w, https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/PhillyPoGoMap-1-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 328px) 100vw, 328px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">And their pamphlet for participating in the Pok\u00e9mon GO scavenger hunt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><b><i>A note on incentives<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n<p>I saw a real variety in player motivation and goals.<\/p>\n<p>For players who participate for the <em>overall experience<\/em>, the in-game rewards may be secondary. More important may be the adventure surrounding the event: the journey taken to reach the city, the group one traveled with, the community being represented, the opportunity to meet new people in a new environment while learning and having fun.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_740\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-740\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_2034-sm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-740 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_2034-sm-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_2034-sm-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_2034-sm-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/IMG_2034-sm.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Benjamin Stokes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This spirit was articulated nicely by Mary, who I met in Philadelphia. As a member of a 120-person raid-group from Boston, she and her family travel &#8220;pretty much anywhere to hunt Pok\u00e9mon&#8221;. \u00a0She likened the game to the bar scene during her college years, understanding it as a &#8220;social lubricant&#8221; that gives people &#8220;more motivation to get out and explore.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>For players who come for the <b>in-game rewards<\/b>, the event might not be a good fit. I spoke to one avid player who chose <i>not<\/i> to attend Open Streets Philly because he didn\u2019t think there would be sufficient in-game offers.<\/p>\n<p>Many players wanted the city remix to require <em>some <\/em>use of the game.\u00a0In the case of <b>Charlotte<\/b>, players had to photograph the blue Pok\u00e9ball stencils on the sidewalk, either within the game\u2019s augmented camera feature or their regular cellphone camera. But that wasn&#8217;t enough for some. As stated by a player on Silphroad, &#8220;it seems odd that the event could have been completed and the reward obtained without even playing Pok\u00e9mon GO. You just needed a cell phone with a camera to snap pictures of some stencils. That&#8217;s it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Across cities, from Charlotte to San Jose and Philadelphia, we see compelling examples of how open streets not only provide spaces for people to play and connect, but also offer residents the opportunity to re-imagine their relationship to their city.<\/p>\n<p>For a deep dive into these open street dynamics, read our <a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-report\/download-report\/\">full report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>&lt;&lt; See more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/pokemon-report\/discussion-probes\/\">discussion probes<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon GO and Playful Cities<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colorful chalk drawings, hundreds of people dressed in costume, miles of open space for biking, walking, and catching Pok\u00e9mon&#8230; This is just a glimpse into what happens when a city combines an Open Streets festival with Pok\u00e9mon GO. In 2017, three experiments took place through a partnership between the Knight Foundation and Niantic &#8212; in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pokemon-go"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":742,"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48\/revisions\/742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playfulcity.net\/go\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}