Category: Research

Overcoming Obstacles to Scenario Planning

Over the last couple of years, I’ve presented about my book, Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions: Managing and Envisioning Uncertain Futures many times. While preparing a presentation for the Inter-American Development Bank’s Regional Policy Dialog, I began to reflect on what obstacles face practitioners seeking to introduce scenario planning in their local contexts. As […]

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Are We in the Era of Platform Urbanism?

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 […]

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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 […]

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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, […]

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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 […]

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‘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 […]

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