Boston is poised on the cusp of a new urban trend and ought to let itself be pushed over the brink. Mayor Walsh has already helped to continue Mayor Menino’s push to make Boston a smart city through the likes of public-access Wi-Fi and planting the seeds of ‘Innovation Districts’ in Boston’s less-technologically developed neighborhoods. Now, though, is the time for city officials to slightly alter the course of Boston and make it just as playable as it is smart.

The timing couldn’t be better for Boston to become a playable city – an urban area designed to engage its residents through initiatives that elicit fun rather than cohesion through technology. Whether or not City Hall realizes it or not, Boston is already in the early stage of the playable city movement evidenced by the likes of The Lawn on D and its own interior makeover.

Playable cities aren’t particularly new but their sentiments are now being echoed all over the world. In Bristol, England, residents can enjoy a water slide that splashes its way through the center of the city. In Washington D.C., playgrounds are playing host to multisensory equipment that encourage active games. Here in Boston, The Lawn on D boasts, among its other enticing experimental projects, LED-lit swings for people to sway on during the dusk.

We’ve already argued that City Hall Plaza could (and should) become the epicenter of Boston’s playable cities movement but first city officials have to embrace the notion fully. And now is the time do to it, because Mayor Walsh is essentially working with a blank slate.

One of his campaign promises was to turn the attention of developers from the likes of Boston’s Innovation District in the Seaport to neighborhoods like Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan to not only promote all of the facets that make these areas great, but to remold them into hubs for technology and commerce.

The mayor has already put out the call to solicit redesign ideas for the Roxbury Innovation Center while also announcing eight new public art installments for Dudley Square.

In Dorhcester, Fields Corner was named one of the greatest neighborhoods in the nation by the American Planning Association proving its ripe for new development while a business lab and food innovation lab already call Dot home.

For the entire City of Boston, Mayor Walsh has created a new Civic Engagement department in charge of which is Jerome Smith and he formed a Neighborhood Innovation District committee dedicated to investigating the readiness

These are just a handful examples showing how much groundwork has already been laid to make these spots more tech-savvy. But that none of that means anything if its at the expense of the residents’ enjoyment.

“By encouraging public activities that actively bring joy, we can create a happier, more cohesive urban future.” wrote The Guardian back in September about the advantages of playable cities. “The Playable City movement can be seen as a creative response to the coldness and anonymity of the urban environment, which technology threatens to make even worse.”

I can’t agree that technology is diminishing every aspect of modern urbanism but it certainly makes it easier for people to opt out of going outside for fun. People follow culture – out of their yards and out of their neighborhoods, in the form of food or public art – and are more apt to engage with their city if has some kind of leisurely component. It’s no coincidence that East Boston has become an affordable haven for homebuyers and renters when there’s one of the largest outdoor artist communities adorning its waterfront.

While technology may be Greater Boston’s bread and butter, the entire region could leverage that for a more amusing advantage. Just imagine if Google’s rooftop garden had programming not unlike to Lawn on D’s in the heart of Kendall Square.

Though Mayor Walsh has already shown his commitment to arts, culture and overall civic innovation, it’ll be interesting to see what other fun, in the purest sense of the word, projects he’ll undertake in Boston. With a forward-looking penchant for adopting new trends, Mayor Walsh would do us all a great service to add a fun flare to the city’s already sterling technological reputation.