Permit Pending: build the city of your dreams, subject to approval  (index.html)   (art/icons/permit.svg)  (icons/icon-192.png)  (https://permit.petercai.com/icons/apple-touch-icon.png)  (site.webmanifest)                  (marketing/hero.jpg)  (https://permit.petercai.com/assets/modulepreload-polyfill-B5Qt9EMX.js) (assets/landing-0Sr5_58B.css)  (index.html#top) (Permit Pending)   (index.html#how) How it plays (index.html#features) Features (index.html#scenarios) Scenarios (index.html#faq) FAQ  (https://permit.petercai.com/play/) New game  (Towers on both banks of a river in late afternoon light, with factories on the far shore)   Build the city of your dreams. Subject to approval  You are the mayor. You know exactly what this city needs. Now get it past the zoning board, the neighbors, the appeals court and the
            next election.  (https://permit.petercai.com/play/) New game Free, because you are loved    Permit Pending is a city simulation in the spirit of the classics, with one difference: you are not a god. You are an elected
          mayor. Every apartment block, bus lane and factory goes through hearings, reviews, objections, lawsuits and appeals. The economy
          underneath is real. The neighbors are not always rational. Win the argument, or win the election. Ideally both.   How a good idea dies A typical case from your inbox. The economic answer was obvious. The political path was not.  Month 1 A tech boom pushes rents up. Young residents start to complain.  Month 3 You rezone an empty lot for a 12-story apartment building.  Month 4 Filed. Nearby homeowners organize over parking and "neighborhood character."  Month 7 Hearing. You trade height for parking. The building is now 6 stories.  Month 8 The smaller project no longer pays. The developer asks for a tax break.  Month 9 Housing advocates criticize the lower count of affordable units.  Month 11 Appeal. The board delays construction. A lawsuit is filed.  Month 42 Rents are still rising. Young voters blame you for the shortage. Homeowners blame you for the proposal.  Month 48 Election day.     Build absolutely nothing (An upzoning of a few suburban lots at its hearing, the lots tinted for the zoning asked, with an opposition sign over them)  Every improvement creates opposition New housing lowers rents and angers homeowners. New industry brings jobs and smog. Better transit attracts development, and
              development attracts opponents. Fix one problem and you create a new group of voters who are angry about it.    (The Case window of an upzoning at its planning hearing: 88% opposition, open objections and concessions the mayor can offer)  Hearings, appeals and lawsuits Your inbox fills with applications, controversies and recurring characters. Negotiate concessions at public hearings, win votes
              on a seven-seat council, and spend your political clout wisely. Some cases last longer than your term.    (Workshops, tank farms and warehouses on the same streets as small houses)  An economy that keeps score Residents have ages, incomes and homes. Businesses hire, grow and leave. Land values, rents, jobs, taxes and services all connect.
              The city keeps changing while you are stuck in committee.    ()  Reelection every four years High-turnout groups have more power than their numbers suggest. Know who votes.  ()  Understand every failure Heatmaps, graphs and plain explanations show why voters are angry and which decision did it.  ()  The local paper The Gazette reports your successes, your scandals and your parking minimums.  ()  Sandbox forever No campaign and no win screen. The city goes on as long as the voters let you.    Pick your city Start with a hamlet at a crossroads, or inherit somebody else's problems. (https://permit.petercai.com/play/?scenario=blank_slate) (A hamlet of a few houses and shops along a street, with fenced lots waiting for zoning)  Blank Slate 200 residents A hamlet at a crossroads and empty streets waiting for zoning.  (https://permit.petercai.com/play/?scenario=small_town) (A small town of workshops and houses beside a lake)  Small Town 2,000 residents A small town with room to grow. Nobody is organized yet.  (https://permit.petercai.com/play/?scenario=booming_suburb) (Suburban homes on deep lots along the shore)  Booming Suburb 25,000 residents Housing demand and homeowners who are getting very organized.  (https://permit.petercai.com/play/?scenario=unaffordable_metropolis) (A dense city of towers)  The Unaffordable Metropolis 300,000 residents A mature economy, severe land-use conflict and very entrenched interests.    What residents are saying "I support new housing. Just not here." Concerned Neighbor, Northgate  "The rent is too damn high!" Renter, Riverside  "We have filed an appeal on procedural grounds. The procedure is the point." Neighborhood Preservation League    Frequently asked questions Do I need an account or a download? No. The game runs in your browser. Saves stay on your computer, and after the first visit the game also works offline.  What do I need to play? A desktop or laptop with a current browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari). A mouse helps.  Can I win? Not exactly. It's a sandbox. Your goal is the city you want, and your challenge is to stay in office long enough to build it.   Your application is complete. The hearing is scheduled. The neighbors are already here. (https://permit.petercai.com/play/) New game   (Permit Pending)  Permit Pending is not a joke. Is this a joke to you? © 2026 (https://www.petercai.com/) Peter Cai.