In a recent issue of Futuribles , authors from the European Commission’s Forward Studies Unit outlined five scenarios for Europe 2010. The scenarios were constructed using the so‐called “shaping actors, shaping factors” method, claimed by the authors as specific to their unit. In this...

Practitioners of futures research think that most modelling, and especially economic modelling, is concerned with forecasting. Since it is generally agreed that futures research is not concerned with deterministic views of the future, futures researchers have turned their back on quantitative...

This article summarizes the main findings of the study entitled Strategy for Sustainable Development of the Czech Republic. Using the methodology of National 21st Century Studies, the study analyses conditions under which particular positive or negative phenomena could appear and identifies key...

This essay outlines some of the crucial points to be taken into consideration by futurists‐in‐training in order to avoid the many mistakes which can be easily made. These comprise right timing, real participation, scenarios, developing a preferred vision of the future, using metaphors, using...

This paper reports the progress of, and results from, a major foresight and scenario planning exercise concerned with the future of real estate. The project first explored the general climate of change within which real estate decisions will have to be made. It then identified specific real...

The Asia‐Pacific Co‐operation (APEC) region, which comprises 21 developed and developing economies, is expected to become predominantly urban by 2020 with at least 15 cities exceeding 10 million inhabitants. Whether such megacities will be “healthy” in the sense of physical, mental and...

A century ago, military instruments were readily deployed in imperialistic adventures or the defence of national interests. Today the strategic environment is more complex and diplomatic protocols more established. The information revolution is meanwhile telescoping time frames and proliferating...