Resources

NEW PUBLICATION: Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions: Managing and Envisioning Uncertain Futures by Robert Goodspeed

This book offers the first in-depth examination of scenario planning. This urban and regional planning approach enables communities to create and analyze multiple plausible versions of the future in the face of rapid technology advances, climate change, and other twenty-first century challenges. Robert Goodspeed explains what scenario planning is and presents evidence of its effectiveness. Intended for urban planning professionals, students, and researchers, the book includes a clear overview of scenario planning methods, a chapter on specific modeling and simulation tools, case studies, and helpful synopses at the conclusion of each chapter.

How to Design Your Scenario Planning Process by Janae Futrell, AICP

This PAS Memo provides a “how-to” guide on preparing to implement scenario planning, moving through sequential steps to create a “roadmap” for the process. It will be particularly useful to help first-time scenario planners understand all the general steps involved in a scenario planning process, gain support for the process within their organizations, and design the process—and for seasoned scenario planners in need of more structure to inform a more rigorous design process.

Policy Brief: Scenario Planning: Embracing Uncertainty to Make Better Decisions by Robert Goodspeed

Faced with an unprecedented array of uncertainties, American cities and regions increasingly turn to scenario planning, a procedural tool that enables planners to analyze multiple versions of the future, incorporate outside input, and make better decisions about planning for the unknown. In this four-page Policy Brief, University of Michigan urban planner Robert Goodspeed defines different scenario types, processes, and tools that shape better and more inclusive planning practices.