{
  "abstract": "Post‑conflict cities exhibit profound socio‑spatial fractures, institutional weakness, and eroded public trust. Conventional planning repeatedly fails to address ethnic segregation, accessibility disparities, and social fragmentation. The aim of this study is to propose and empirically validate an integrated model, the Gamified Spatial-Participatory Model (GSPM), that combines spatial justice theory, participatory co-design, and conflict-sensitive gamification to foster social cohesion. Using Kabul, Afghanistan, as a paradigmatic case, a sequential mixed‑methods design was employed. Quantitative spatial diagnostics mapped severe accessibility deficits, while qualitative inquiry identified deep trust deficits and cultural barriers; these jointly informed gamified co‑design workshops as the intervention. Pilot results provide strong preliminary evidence of GSPM efficacy: 90% of participants reported substantially increased engagement; gamification correlated strongly with intergroup trust (r = 0.76, p < 0.01); perceived accessibility improved by 38% in intervention areas. Critically, 70% of women and 55% of ethnic minorities reported meaningfully stronger belonging. The study demonstrates that this approach shifts planning epistemology from technocratic to deeply human, operationalising spatial justice in fragile settings, and offers transferable principles for fostering inclusion in divided urban contexts.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Geography, Yazd University, Yazd, Yazd Province, Iran",
    "Department of Urban Design, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Tehran Province, Iran"
  ],
  "article_type": "Research Article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Aimal Formolly",
      "orcid": "0009-0002-8983-8880"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mohammad Hossain Saraei",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3449-3969"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Ebrahim Siahi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e370ejv4gtmp9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1371/journal.pone.0358692",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13712617/",
  "id": "e370ejv4gtmp9",
  "issns": [
    "1932-6203"
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  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358692",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
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  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Anthropology"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Asian People"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Civil Engineering"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Cultural Anthropology"
    ],
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      "heading",
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      "heading",
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      "heading",
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    [
      "heading",
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    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Ethnic Groups"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Ethnicities"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Geography"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Housing"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Human Geography"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Neighborhoods"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Pashtun People"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "People and Places"
    ],
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      "heading",
      "Population Groupings"
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    [
      "heading",
      "Terrestrial Environments"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Urban Environments"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Urban Infrastructure"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3322|Urban Planning and Governance"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Human geography/Housing"
    ],
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      "/Earth sciences/Geography/Human geography/Social geography/Neighborhoods"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Ecology and environmental sciences/Terrestrial environments/Urban environments"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Engineering and technology/Civil engineering/Urban infrastructure"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Demography/Ethnic groups"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Population groupings/Ethnicities"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/People and places/Population groupings/Ethnicities/Asian people/Pashtun people"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Anthropology/Cultural anthropology/Ethnic groups"
    ],
    [
      "plos",
      "/Social sciences/Human geography/Housing"
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      "plos",
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  "pdf_url": "https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0358692&type=printable",
  "pmcid": "PMC13712617",
  "pmid": "42945282",
  "published": "2026-10-27",
  "publisher": "Public Library of Science",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e370ejv4gtmp9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:17Z",
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  "subjects": [
    {
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      "origin": "plos:earth sciences",
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  ],
  "title": "Gamified spatial‑participatory model for urban social cohesion in a post‑conflict city: Bridging accessibility, inclusion, and intergroup trust through co‑design in Kabul",
  "title_text": "Gamified spatial‑participatory model for urban social cohesion in a post‑conflict city: Bridging accessibility, inclusion, and intergroup trust through co‑design in Kabul",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:23:09Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/e370ejv4gtmp9",
  "venue": "PLOS One",
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}