Institute For The Future

  • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • IFTF Vantage Partnership
    • IFTF Foresight Essentials
    • Forecasts
    • Workshops
    • Maps
    • Artifacts from the Future
    • Events
    • In the News
    • Media Center
    • Gallery
    • History of the Future
  • Our Work
    • Featured Projects
    • Global Landscape
    • People + Technology
    • Health + Self
  • Partner with IFTF
    • IFTF Vantage
    • IFTF Foresight Essentials
    • Research Labs
    • Partners
    • Jobs
    • Donate
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Future Now
  • Donate
Medium Facebook Twitter RSS
  • Global Landscape
  • People + Technology
  • Health + Self

Maker Cities

  • Featured Projects
  • Global Landscape

    • Ten-Year Forecast

    • Food Futures

    • Work + Learn Futures

    • Workable Futures

    • Cities Futures

    • Governance Futures

    • Inclusive Futures

    • Socialstructing

    • Sustainability

  • People + Technology

    • Smithsonian Futures Beacons

    • Tech Futures

    • Work + Learn Futures

    • Workable Futures

    • Games

  • Health + Self

    • After the Pandemic

    • Centering Health

    • Health Futures

    • Health Care

    • Health Games

    • Aging

INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT IFTF?

Contact us today »

Future NOW Blog

Identify Your Assets and Gaps: A Foresight Tool for Action

Oct 14, 2022

IFTF News from the Future #80

Oct 06, 2022

IFTF Equitable Enterprise Newsletter | September

Sep 28, 2022

Sparking a Sense of Hope & Agency

Sep 19, 2022

IFTF News from the Future #79

Sep 08, 2022

Browse all blog posts »

Maker Cities

Play the game. Make the future of your city.

#MakerCities

The steam engine sparked the Industrial Revolution, the assembly line transformed industry, and standardized shipping catalyzed a truly global and interconnected economy. Now new ways of making are transforming our world once again.

The tools to make literally anything are increasingly available to anyone. Open source electronics platforms, 3D printing technology, and community makerspaces with sophisticated industrial tools are rewriting the rules of production to enable anyone to be a maker. This global culture has a name—the maker movement.

Makers are Solving Urban Challenges

The DIY ethos of making isn’t limited to creating physical objects—stuff. Makers are starting to reimagine the systems that surround them. They are bringing the “maker mindset” to the complex urban challenges of health, education, food, and even citizenship. Makers will make the future of their cities.

Our Technology Horizons Program created Maker Cities, an open and collaborative online game, to generate ideas about how citizens are changing work, production, governance, learning, well-being, and their neighborhoods, and what this means for the future. How will individuals, grassroots efforts, and community groups use emerging technologies and work together to solve problems in your city? What can you learn from makers in other cities nearby and around the world? 

The Maker Cities game

In 2013, the Maker Cities online game was place to share your ideas and vote for your favorite Maker City futures. Players can respond to Maker Cities Challenges or play any idea about what makes a Maker City. Everything contributed will be added to a public database that can be freely accessed by anyone, anywhere. We need EVERYONE to join the Maker City movement!

In the Media

  • "Magic Makers" Documentary Producer Melissa Jun Rowley talks about Maker Cities in Make Magazine
  • The Information Daily publishes "Citizens Will Make the Future of Cities," by IFTF researcher Jason Tester
  • Boing Boing covers Maker Cities
  • IFTF researcher Nic Weidinger's "Maker Cities" blog post on Future Now
  • IFTF's Rebecca Chesney writes Makers will Create the Future of Cities on Future Now

For More Information

For more information, please contact John Clamme | [email protected]

  • Institute for the Future

  • 201 Hamilton Avenue
  • Palo Alto, CA 94301
  • 650.854.6322
  • [email protected]

  • © 2023 Institute for the Future

    What We Do

  • Who We Are
  • IFTF Vantage Partnership
  • IFTF Foresight Essentials
  • Forecasts
  • Workshops
  • Maps
  • Artifacts from the Future
  • Events
  • In the News
  • Media Center
  • Gallery
  • History of the Future

    Our Work

  • Featured Projects
  • Global Landscape
  • People + Technology
  • Health + Self

    Partner with IFTF

  • IFTF Vantage
  • IFTF Foresight Essentials
  • Research Labs
  • Partners
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

    Future Now

    Donate