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Scenarios

Scenario planning is a key part of this technique of structured, disciplined dialogue among stakeholders whose futures are intertwined but who often oppose or ignore each other. Scenario planning as a civic dialogue tool focuses on the future, not on the past or present where most debates have concentrated their attention. Scenarios are plausible what-if stories or narratives that describe alternative paths toward the future. They are not projections, predictions or preferences, but powerful tools for addressing what is both fundamentally significant and profoundly unknowable – the future. Without a good idea of the future, it is difficult to make progress.

In January 2007, the Meadowlark Lab Team convened to determine possible scenarios 40 years into the future. Below are the 4 final scenarios:

More information regarding these scenarios:

Interested in convening your own dialogue? It’s a great way to get your community thinking about their future. And it’s easy. Here are a few useful tools to help you.