A group of people seated around a table engaged in discussion, with papers and drinks on the table.

From prototype to practice: the Planned Relocation Simulation goes live

A social simulation update

After almost two years of co-design, testing, and refinement, the Planned Relocation Simulation has been finalized and officially released. Developed by the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and the Centre for Systems Solutions (CRS), with funding from the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the Munich Re Foundation, the final simulation was introduced during a webinar in October 2025 — now available on YouTube.

A serious game for a serious challenge

Around the world, communities are increasingly confronted with climate impacts so severe that staying in place may no longer be safe. Planned relocation — moving entire communities to safer ground — is complex, emotional, and often contentious. It is not simply a matter of building houses in another location. It means rebuilding livelihoods, identity, community structures, and cultural meaning.

The social simulation responds to a critical gap: while policymakers are expected to make relocation decisions, few have ever experienced the negotiations, uncertainties, and trade-offs involved. The result in real life can be poorly designed relocations with negative outcomes for communities.

To support better decisions and more people-centred approaches, the Planned Relocation Simulation translates this complexity into an engaging, hands-on learning experience. It is designed for training and capacity-building: instead of offering a step-by-step blueprint, it lets participants explore competing priorities, trade-offs and decision-making dynamics. Through immersive roleplay, participants take on the perspectives of community members, local and national authorities, funders, and technical experts. They negotiate, face climate-related risks, and make difficult decisions — often under time pressure and with unequal access to information, just like in real life.

A group of six people gather around a table with game materials and a presentation screen in a meeting room. — Planned Relocation Simulation with the GCCM Climate Mobility Fellows in Berlin, Germany

From prototype to final version

The simulation was developed through a highly participatory process. Starting in winter 2023/24, the project team engaged practitioners, researchers and experts in co-design workshops, interviews and feedback rounds. Throughout 2024, multiple prototype versions were tested and redesigned. In 2025, the simulation travelled across several international workshops — from Vancouver to New York, Berlin, and Bonn. These workshops brought together 74 participants from over 20 countries, including Bangladesh, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu as well as Brazil, Germany and the USA, reflecting a broad diversity of regional contexts and expertise. Their feedback directly shaped the final version, which was completed in summer 2025.

A word cloud featuring various adjectives related to engagement and learning, with "thought-provoking" prominently displayed. — Evaluation results from five international workshops. Word cloud showing the 3–5 words participants used to summarise their experience.

Inside the simulation

The simulation places participants in a fictional country that mirrors real-world relocation challenges. Its storyline moves between three interconnected locations: Mantoa, a coastal fishing village with deep cultural roots now threatened by storm surges and rising seas; Ombona, a peri-urban settlement struggling with drought and declining harvests; and Port Orika, the region’s largest city and economic hub, where some residents have already migrated in search of jobs and essential services.

Map showing economic opportunities in Mantoa Forest, Ombona, and Port Orika, with icons for logging, farming, and fishing. — Simulation landscape

Each participant receives a role with its own priorities, constraints, and information. As the simulation unfolds, new developments and climate-related risk events are introduced by a facilitator, creating time pressure and forcing players to react, reassess and justify their decisions. Together, they confront the fundamental dilemmas of relocation planning: When is the right moment to begin relocation planning? Is it better to invest in protection measures to stay? And who has the authority to make decisions that shape the community’s future?

A group of people engaged in a board game around a wooden table with game pieces and cards visible. — Planned Relocation Simulation with members of the Environmental and Climate Mobilities Network (ECMN) in Bonn, Germany

What emerges is not a predefined „correct“ answer, but an understanding of how decisions are shaped by power, uncertainty and (mis)communication. One participant summed up their experience after a workshop:

“I thought it was so interesting how the game really highlighted the human agency and decision making. So you often think of government institutions as machines that do their own thing through policy and regulation, and all of this stuff is mandated, but it’s really the people that are like ignoring parts, or miscommunication, or manipulating a situation or seeing an opportunity.”

What comes next

With the final version now released, the simulation materials are freely available for non-commercial use. A facilitator handbook, print-ready game materials and access instructions are published via the project website and an open-access repository. In late 2025, UNU-EHS will run “train-the-trainer” sessions to support organizations in hosting their own workshops, with additional capacity-building and evaluation activities planned for 2026.

Policymakers, organizations, universities and public institutions are invited to host their own simulation workshops and use the tool to strengthen capacity, empathy and systems thinking among stakeholders.

To express interest in hosting a workshop, please use the following link.