Workshop: Planned Relocation Simulation

Participate in the Planned Relocation Simulation

The Planned Relocation Simulation is a 3-hour, guided and interactive workshop organized around a table-top board game. Planned Relocation is the collective and coordinated movement of a whole community away from areas affected by risks such as floods, a complex process that poses many challenges. Participants in the simulation learn to navigate these complexities of relocation decision-making in a fictional setting inspired by real-world cases. Following a brief introduction about planned relocation, participants step into assigned roles, as community and government representatives. Together, they are confronted with questions that all communities and planners considering relocation must face: When is the correct time to start planning for relocation? Should scarce resources be spent to enable people to stay where there are known climate risks? And most crucially: who gets to decide? The session concludes with a structured debriefing for participants to connect the simulated events to real-world experiences, share insights, and discuss the usefulness of social simulations such as this one.

More information can be found on the project website: https://plannedrelocation.socialsimulations.org/

The simulation workshop will be facilitated by Dr. David Durand-Delacre, Senior Researcher at the UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security (Bonn, Germany) and Visiting Assistant Professor in the UBC Geography Department.

Anyone is welcome to join: prior knowledge of planned relocation or experience of social simulations is not required. Note that depending on interest and the size of the waitlist, we may organise a second workshop opportunity.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

5:30-8:30 PM

Dodson Room (302), Level 3, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC Vancouver Campus

Free and open to the public, but registration required. Seating is limited and open on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Pizza and drinks will be provided.

Please direct any questions to Dr. David Durand-Delacre at david.duranddelacre@ubc.ca.