Book
Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions
Managing and Envisioning Uncertain Futures
April 2020, English
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
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“This masterwork on scenario planning is wonderfully accessible and deeply grounded in planning theory and systems thinking about interconnections and uncertainties. Robert Goodspeed has created the best explanation I’ve ever seen for understanding this planning strategy that is so urgently needed for guiding our cities through the turbulent 21st century.”
— Dowell Myers, Professor of Policy, Planning, and Demography, Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California
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.
About the Author
Robert Goodspeed is an assistant professor of urban and regional planning at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of collaborative planning, urban informatics, and scenario planning theory and methods. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and serves as a board member of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s Consortium for Scenario Planning.
Reviews
“One of the book’s many strengths is the multitude of examples. Readers in a hurry can get the gist from bullet points at the end of each chapter. The book can be used as a textbook in various ways, but it doesn’t read like one.”
— Planning, August/September 2020
“Far-reaching in its ambition, yet thoroughly practical, Scenario Planning for Cities and Regions is an indispensable tool for researchers and professional planners alike. Goodspeed shows how this technique for examining future possibilities up close can help urban planners tackle today’s most wicked problems.”
— Anthony Townsend, Author, Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers, and the Quest for A New Utopia
“Educators, students, and practitioners who want to understand how to employ scenarios in their urban planning practice will find this book an important tool.”
— Marisa A. Zapata, Associate Professor of Land Use Planning and Director, Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, Portland State University
“This book is an essential resource for anyone interested in using scenario planning to inform and improve planning and policy making. It combines an instructive history of scenario planning, illustrative case studies, an overview of digital tools for creating and evaluating scenarios, a careful review of empirical studies, and a useful framework for evaluating urban scenario outcomes.”
— Richard E. Klosterman, Emeritus Professor of Geography, Planning, and Urban Studies, University of Akron
“This is a comprehensive work with thoughtful research and practical case studies for municipal and local government. For the Vancouver Plan—the City of Vancouver’s multiyear comprehensive planning process—we are using scenario planning methods in concert with robust public engagement to inform our policy directions and implementation approach. Using scenarios as a lens, we intend to create a strategic plan that is durable, nimble, and responsive to changing conditions with clear pathways for implementation reflective of community hopes and aspirations.”
— Gil Kelley, FAICP, General Manager, Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability, City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
“The extensive collection of theories, methods, and applications builds a compelling case for collaborative scenario planning as a central approach to planning.”
— Arnab Chakraborty, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and Associate Dean for Research, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
“Goodspeed’s book is an outstanding complement to the current body of literature on scenario planning. . . . [It] could benefit a wide range of people who are interested in addressing the complex and uncertain futures of cities, including but not limited to practitioners, scholars, students, and stakeholders.”
— Journal of Urban Affairs