Humans have the ability to reimagine the world. Futures thinking can help us expose the clues to identify what might lay in store for the future based on current events. If we don’t like what we see, we can change it--we just need to find good partners and the right tools.
Futures thinking is one of those tools. Its practices enable us to be better planners–and ancestors–so that we understand the steps we might take to design a better world.
For example, you’ve now practiced identifying signals and trends to imagine future scenarios. You've also considered the needs of future generations while engaging with your future self.
The next practice of futures thinking relies on flexing your creativity and idealism to create your own protopia.
In this video, futurist Ari Wallach describes the two polarizing types of futures that people have imagined and poses a more realistic, positive third option.
| Keyboard Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Pause/Play video playback |
| Enter | Pause/Play video playback |
| m | Mute/Unmute video volume |
| Up and Down arrows | Increase and decrease volume by 10% |
| Right and Left arrows | Seek forward or backward by 5 seconds |
| 0-9 | Fast seek to x% of the video. |
| f | Enter or exit fullscreen. (Note: To exit fullscreen in flash press the Esc key. |
| c | Press c to toggle captions on or off |
Before you begin, think about what you want for your future, and for the future of your community. Use this notes space to write down your ideas about the following questions:
Any community--from a village to a city--relies on several key elements to thrive. Designing a future community is complex! Click on ORGANIZE IT to review some key elements, then choose four you wish to highlight in your protopia.
Organize It!: Your work has been submitted.
This is your chance to design spaces that support your key needs for a better future. Click on DRAW & LABEL to sketch a protopia for your community, highlighting the four key elements you chose at left.
For a non-graphical option, click on WRITE IT, instead.
Write It!: Your work has been submitted.