Can a video game really shape real city design? In Treviso, the answer is yes.
The initiative “Le scuole reinventano Treviso“ (or “Schools Reinvent Treviso“), based on Minecraft Education, invites students to reimagine greener urban landscapes. Inspired by C40’s “Schools Reinventing Cities” campaign, this local project takes classroom ideas and turns them into bold new visions for Treviso’s future.
Starting in October 2024, 26 teachers from seven schools underwent workshops to learn how to guide a project-based curriculum with Minecraft. They then mentored 21 classes — 433 students in total — who explored local environmental issues and designed sustainable interventions in virtual Treviso.
Through months of teamwork and creative learning, the students submitted 104 urban design proposals combining civic awareness, digital skills, and imagination. Their digital models addressed real challenges like air quality, green spaces, transit, and water retention.
In May 2025, a panel including the mayor and deputy mayor reviewed all projects, evaluating them on concept coherence, originality, feasibility, and creativity. Ten teams were officially awarded, and thirteen received special mention for vision and innovation.
On May 22, students showcased their digital cityscapes at Treviso’s Teatro Comunale — not as models but as immersive narratives for municipal change. Supported by project-generated Minecraft visuals, they presented proposals for real interventions to an audience of city officials, experts, and residents.
On June 4, Treviso hosted “H-ack Kids” at the H-FARM campus. Mentors guided top teams in refining their ideas, which students then pitched to a jury that provided constructive feedback and technical advice.
This hackathon blended learning, creativity, and planning skills — from budgeting and communications to vision development — tailored to youth and beyond typical IT competitions.
This project reimagines the role of schools not as bystanders in city planning, but actively involved in shaping it. Students gain not just environmental insight and climate awareness, but also a real stake in the urban space they inhabit.
A pressing question remains: Will these ideas last beyond Treviso’s bid for the European Green Leaf Award? Will schools receive support to move from concept to execution — or will this remain a memorable but isolated initiative?
Choosing Minecraft Education is strategic, enabling even younger students to build, discuss, and understand complex environmental data in a team setting. The platform supports collaboration and visualization of sustainability ideas in a straightforward, kid-friendly format.
By placing urban design into children’s hands, Treviso may have taken one of Europe’s most democratic planning steps: turning participatory planning into pixel-powered possibility.
Although still vying for the European Green Leaf title, Treviso demonstrates that ecological transformation doesn’t have to be top-down. It can emerge from playful classrooms to planning rooms — built through participation, shared learning, and digital innovation.
The Treviso Project proves that education, technology, and inclusion are not just about school assignments — they can seed actual urban investment, policy change, and future city standards.
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