Playing amongst the ruins: creative play/cemaking in recovery cities of the 21st century

Purpose Disasters reconfigure cities, alienating people from them, while raising questions about their future functioning. Design/methodology/approach Our study concerns two cities recovering from different disasters: earthquakes in Ōtautahi Christchurch and the COVID-19 pandemic in Naarm Melbourne. Urban play takes place in each location through an augmented reality mobile application called 64 Ways of Being, which was created by Troy Innocent. It offers immersive walking tours within these cities. Each iteration’s content has been co-produced with Indigenous and other local artists, academics and creative placemaking social enterprises. Findings This article centres the Ōtautahi version. Creatives and designers were interviewed, and players were surveyed for personal insights and feedback upon its launch (18 extended interviews; 38 survey returns). We see a potential role for play in disaster recovery since it provides a non-threatening way for communities to reengage, reconnect and reimagine their places, and unsettle the dominant narratives in settler colonial cities. Originality/value Although there are extant literatures noting the value of placemaking and of play post-disaster, little links them. This article makes the case for doing so.