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Scenario archetypes: converging rather than diverging themes

Hunt, D V L, Caputo, S, Lombardi, D R, Barber, A R G, Boyko, C T, Cooper, R F D, Gaterell, M R, Sadler, J P, Hewitt, C N, MacKenzie, A R, and others. (2012) Scenario archetypes: converging rather than diverging themes. Sustainability, 4 . pp. 740-772. ISSN 2071-1050. (doi:10.3390/su4040740) (KAR id:72392)

Abstract

Future scenarios provide challenging, plausible and relevant stories about how the future could unfold. Urban Futures (UF) research has identified a substantial set (>450) of seemingly disparate scenarios published over the period 1997–2011 and within this research, a sub-set of >160 scenarios has been identified (and categorized) based on their narratives according to the structure first proposed by the Global Scenario Group (GSG) in 1997; three world types (Business as Usual, Barbarization, and Great Transitions) and six scenarios, two for each world type (Policy Reform—PR, Market Forces—MF, Breakdown—B, Fortress World—FW, Eco-Communalism—EC and New Sustainability Paradigm—NSP). It is suggested that four of these scenario archetypes (MF, PR, NSP and FW) are sufficiently distinct to facilitate active stakeholder engagement in futures thinking. Moreover they are accompanied by a well-established, internally consistent set of narratives that provide a deeper understanding of the key fundamental drivers (e.g., STEEP—Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental and Political) that could bring about realistic world changes through a push or a pull effect. This is testament to the original concept of the GSG scenarios and their development and refinement over a 16 year period."

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.3390/su4040740
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > Kent School of Architecture and Planning
Depositing User: Silvio Caputo
Date Deposited: 28 Nov 2020 19:16 UTC
Last Modified: 05 Nov 2024 12:34 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/72392 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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