This paper aims to review the challenges of urban foresight via an analytical method: apply this to the city demonstrations on the UK Foresight Future of Cities: and explore the implications for ways forward.
The methodology is based on the principles of co-evolutionary complex systems, a newly developed toolkit of “synergistic mapping and design”, and its application in a “synergy foresight” method.
The UK Foresight Future of Cities is work in progress, but some early lessons are emerging – the need for transparency in foresight method – and the wider context of strategic policy intelligence.
The paper has practical recommendations, and a set of propositions, (under active discussion in 2015), which are based on the analysis.
The paper aims to demonstrate an application of “synergy foresight” with wide benefits for cities and the communities within them.
