The Shifting Landscape of Cities and Technology For years it has been obvious that digital technologies have become deeply embedded in cities, but it has been difficult to conceptualize this change. My scholarly career has seen a revolving door of buzzwords and concepts surrounding technology in cities, like open data, open government, gov 2.0, civic […]
Scenario Planning vs. Economic Theory
I used to think I had a handle on the basic theoretical debates between mainstream (or neoclassical) economics and urban planning institutions and practices, but a recent book opened my eyes to the realization that scenario planning’s focus on non-quantitative uncertainty is yet another area where planning conflicts with ideas from economics. Although my research […]
Questions People Ask About Scenario Planning for Cities
Last fall I spoke to a number of groups about scenario planning and my book, Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions: Managing and Envisioning Uncertain Futures. Here are some of the questions that frequently cropped up. 1. What tool should I use? The simple answer to this question is, any one! Since scenario planning refers […]
New Paper: “Learning to Manage Common Resources: Stakeholders Playing a Serious Game See Increased Interdependence in Groundwater Basin Management”
This paper is the product of a three-year collaborative research project between the Environmental Defense Fund, Colleen Seifert, a UM psychology professor, myself, and several research assistants. In 2017, the Graham Sustainability Institute sponsored a matchmaking event where UM social scientists could interact with EDF staff who had ideas for research collaborations. At that event, […]
New Publications Spotlight Scenario Planning Cases
I’m often asked for urban scenario planning case studies, and for good reason, since studying cases is an excellent way to see how this powerful planning method can be applied. Two recent publications contain a variety of cases that complement those I include in my book. Practitioner Uri Avin and I wrote the article “Using […]
‘Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions’ Published
The day has finally arrived! My book, Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions: Managing and Envisioning Uncertain Futures, is now available for sale directly from the distributor (Columbia University Press). A number of online retailers have listings and are accepting pre-orders, but none show copies in stock yet. In the case of Amazon, it may […]
Top 5 Urban Scenario Planning Mistakes
My forthcoming book, Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions, describes the diverse ways that scenario planning methods are used by urban planners. In general I try to take an inclusive approach and discuss a wide variety of projects that use scenarios, since planning is diverse and therefore different settings call for different methods. However, I […]