In an era of polarised opinions on net zero policies and how best to tackle climate change in our towns and cities, bringing people and organisations together to agree on the best pathway(s) to the future is essential. Co-produced city visions represent shared, and often desirable, expectations about our urban futures. In their book, ‘Urban Futures: Planning for City Foresight and City Visions’, Timothy Dixon and Mark Tewdwr-Jones explore the history and evolution of city visions, placing them in the wider context of art, culture, science, foresight, and urban theory. The book highlights and critically reviews examples of city visions from around the world, contrasting their development and outlining the key benefits and challenges in planning such visions.
The authors show how important it is to think about the future of cities in objective and strategic ways, engaging with a range of stakeholders – something more important than ever as we look to visions of a sustainable future that takes us beyond the COVID-19 crisis, and net zero culture wars.
Join the discussion of Urban Futures and the directions we may see our cities move towards as they focus on the theoretical underpinnings of the book and practical examples such as the Newcastle 2065 and Reading 2050 programmes.