What does a Futures Approach to Planning Mean for Social Equity?

Former Caivan Communities Post-Doctoral Fellow Dr. Raphael Ayambire and the School of Planning’s Dr. Markus Moos have recently released an in-depth review on scenario planning, a method of future planning based on a variety of assumptions, drivers and uncertainties. They found that social equity is largely ignored or is not emphasized in traditional scenario processes at all. While researching, Dr. Ayambire and Dr. Moos analyzed 157 peer-reviewed articles to see if equity was addressed proactively, the dimensions of equity that are addressed, and if an action plan was provided to implement these equity measures. Dr. Ayambire and Dr. Moos argue that as scenario plans are increasingly used for insight during uncertain times, it is essential that we develop meaningful equity consideration in the scenario-building process. They create a framework for analyzing equity implications and integrating equity considerations in future scenario planning practice. Dr. Ayambire is now Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba.

Dr. Ayambire and Dr. Moos would like to acknowledge the support provided by the Future Cities Initiative, who generously provided funding for this research.

For more information on this issue, and the suggestions provided to improve it, please visit Dr. Ayambire and Dr. Moos’s original article (Open Access) available via SageJournals.