Urban Planning for a Desert Dreamscape

Black Rock City is a temporary metropolis of  80,000 people who inhabit 1,600 theme camps and support camps. That means nine out of 10 participants' plans are coordinated by the Placement team — a handful of dedicated staff who decide which camps go where, and why. This year-round process is an art and a science that takes many factors into consideration — from city dynamics, to campers’ Radical Self-expressions.

As Burning Man Project’s Associate Director of City Planning, Bryant Tan manages the Placement team, and oversees the city’s annual planning and placement process. Naturally, questions about Burning Man lead to more questions.

• How do we place like-minded folks together for harmony, not monotony?
• How are resources shared between camps in this new era?
• Can you tell me how to get to Center Camp Plaza?
• What rules cultivate a spirit of lawlessness?
• Is bigger actually better?

Let’s go behind the scenes, under the clipboard, and beyond the map, exploring opportunities and obligations to iterate in this experimental city. It’s a unique test case for urban planners and any humans who live in semi-civilized situations.

“We don't want this just to be an Instagrammable bucket list thing. It's an experiment in community. We want people to show up a certain way, and so I try to just have reasonable conversations with people to help them learn what Burning Man is, and learn how to distribute leadership and responsibility, how to empower people to be their most creative selves.”

BurningMan.org: Placement Team: Level

BurningMan.org: Placement Process

HUBS: Humans Uniting for Better Sustainability

PEERS: Placement’s Exploration and Engagement Research Squad

LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG