Mojang to work with United Nations to help reimagine neighborhoods

Swedish game developer Mojang is partnering with the United Nations to involve young people in the planning of urban areas using Minecraft.

Swedish game developer Mojang is partnering with the United Nations to involve young people in the planning of urban areas using Minecraft.

The three-year partnership called "Block by Block" will support the UN-Habitat's Sustainable Urban Development Networkto upgrade 300 spaces by 2016. The first pilot project will take place in Kibera, Nairobi.

The idea was born out of an earlier project, Mina Kvarter (My Blocks) where Mojang collaborated with Swedish Building Services to encourage members of the community to participate in the reconstruction of their neighborhoods. Community members were invited to log onto Minecraft servers and modify their own neighborhoods, which gave them an opportunity to visualize what they wanted without the need for architectural training. Mojang says that these plans were then discussed at political meetings.

The success of Mina Kvarter caught the attention of the UN, and it is now being trialled as a new way to approach urban planning.

Mojang will be the main financial sponsor for Block by Block. A website for the project is expected to launch soon.