Ethan Zuckerman

Gaming Our Way to Better Policy: How Interactive Tools Can Transform Public Resistance

Published Originally by ChenAn Shen
The Public Interest Technologist

In February 2024, the town of Milton, Massachusetts made headlines when its residents voted against a state-mandated transit-oriented housing plan, becoming one of only two communities to reject the MBTA Communities Act. This resistance highlighted a persistent challenge in urban planning: how do we bridge the gap between policy necessity and public acceptance? The answer might lie in transforming complex policy proposals into interactive, engaging experiences.

Figure 1. MBTA Communities Act Coverage and Milton’s proposed upzone plan

Political economists such as Joseph Stiglitz tell us that a policy's perceived effectiveness is crucial for public acceptance, which in turn determines its political feasibility. When the public believes a policy will work, they're more likely to support it, making it easier for political leaders to implement. Yet traditionally, a policy’s effectiveness remains abstract and hard to grasp for many citizens, leading them to focus primarily on the immediate disruptions and short-term changes rather than long-term benefits. This is where innovative approaches to public engagement can make a crucial difference.

At DUSP, our team developed MBTA Upzone+, an interactive tool that reimagines how communities can engage with zoning proposals. Instead of confronting residents with dense technical documents and static maps, we created a dynamic platform where users can explore and visualize potential changes to their neighborhood in real-time. The tool makes both the costs and benefits of policy changes tangible, allowing residents to directly experience the trade-offs between neighborhood change and improved community outcomes.

Figure 2. The interactive interface of MBTA Upzone+

The power of this approach lies in three key elements: visualization, personalization, and immediate feedback. Users can select specific parcels in their neighborhood and adjust density levels using intuitive sliders, immediately seeing how changes would affect the streetscape. The tool also shows how increased density near transit stations improves access to essential resources like hospitals, schools, and job opportunities through interactive isochrone maps. This immediate connection between policy changes and concrete benefits makes the effectiveness of transit-oriented development visceral rather than theoretical.

What makes this approach particularly effective is how it demystifies abstract concepts like "units per acre" by connecting them to tangible outcomes. Rather than telling residents that a 15-unit-per-acre density requirement won't dramatically alter their community's character, we show them. The tool reveals that many existing neighborhoods already approach or exceed these densities while maintaining their cherished local character. By making both the scale of change and its benefits immediately visible, residents can make more informed judgments about the true trade-offs involved.

More importantly, this interactive approach transforms the public consultation process from a one-way presentation into a collaborative exploration. When residents can experiment with different scenarios and see their immediate impacts, they become active participants in the planning process rather than passive recipients of policy decisions. This shift from "being told" to "discovering" can significantly reduce resistance to change because it allows people to personally verify a policy's effectiveness rather than simply being asked to trust expert assessments.

The implications extend far beyond land use policy. Whether it's climate action, transportation planning, or public health initiatives, interactive visualization tools can help bridge the gap between expert understanding and public acceptance. By making complex policy trade-offs tangible and personal, we can build more informed and engaged communities that understand not just what needs to change, but why and how those changes will improve their lives.

As we look to implement crucial but potentially controversial policies to address challenges like housing affordability and climate change, we need to rethink how we communicate with the public. The success of MBTA Upzone+ suggests that the future of public policy engagement lies not in better arguments, but in better tools that allow citizens to explore, understand, and contribute to the solutions their communities need. By making the effectiveness of policy proposals visible and interactive, we can transform abstract debates about change into concrete discussions about community benefits.

The resistance in Milton isn't unique – it's a reminder that good policy alone isn't enough. We need innovative ways to help communities visualize and engage with change. By transforming policy proposals from abstract concepts into interactive experiences, we can build the public understanding and support necessary to address our most pressing urban challenges.


ChenAn Shen is a planner and architect with a focus on equitable urban mobility and sustainable travel behavior. Currently pursuing a Master of City Planning at MIT, ChenAn combines expertise in data analysis, behavioral strategies, and system design to enhance transportation systems. ChenAn was a contributor to MITDesignX venture Civic Leaders of Today, a Research Assistant at the JTL Urban Mobility Lab, and served as a Fellow at the City of Boston.