CoDesign LIVE: Play As Power with The Urban Conga

Join us for a virtual lightning talk exploring how open-ended play can disrupt control-oriented city structures, flatten social hierarchies, and cultivate spatial equity.

© The Urban Conga

Why is the word “play” so often met with resistance in urban design?

On October 5, join Ryan Swanson and Maeghann Coleman, founders of the multidisciplinary studio The Urban Conga, for a 30-minute CoDesign LIVE lightning talk exploring how open-ended play can disrupt control-oriented city structures, flatten social hierarchies, and cultivate spatial equity.

Drawing from The Urban Conga’s feature article in Unfold: The Dissent Issue, Ryan and Maeghann will share real-world case studies demonstrating how playful interventions—from custom park ping-pong tables to interactive soundscapes—transform underutilized public spaces into democratic “PLAYces.”

The Urban Conga is a Brooklyn, NY-based award-winning multidisciplinary design studio led by Ryan Swanson and Maeghann Coleman, AIA. The studio is comprised of a diverse group of creatives focused on sparking community interaction and social activity through open-ended play. We achieve this by utilizing play methodologies as a critical tool implemented not just in the work itself but in the participatory design process in which the work is created. Our work explores the idea of working with clients to create more playable cities as an ecosystem of inclusive multiscale playable opportunities intertwined with our existing urban fabric.

Ryan Swanson is the founder and principal of The Urban Conga, an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio focused on creating inclusive, human-centered opportunities that transform once-overlooked or underutilized situations into stimulating, creative outlets that evoke our innate drive to discover, explore, and empathize with others. His work spans architecture, urban design, public art, and social practice, using play as a catalyst for social interaction, community engagement, and shared ownership. He integrates play-based methodologies into both the design process and the spatial opportunities in which he creates.

Maeghann Coleman, AIA, is a principal of The Urban Conga and a practicing architect. Her experience spans aviation, education, public institutions, and community-impact projects. She focuses on health and well-being in the built environment, using human-centered design to shape inclusive, engaging spaces that foster meaningful, memorable experiences for all users everywhere.