Format: In Doha only, no online participation possible

This session with anticipated 20-30 participants explores and envisions multiple possible urban mobility futures through a gamified and interactive workshop. Key themes of the session are to convey central futures studies principles and apply them in a gamified manner to explore possible scenarios of sustainable urban mobility futures in Doha.

The climate crisis requires immediate system-level transitions in urban areas. Transportation and mobility constitute a significant contributor to current challenges (e.g., GHG emissions, local air pollution, resource/land consumption, traffic fatalities, spatial inaccessibility/injustices). Working in a structured approach with multiple exploratory futures can guide planners and policymakers to prepare for upcoming challenges and opportunities. At the same time, normative futures can provide visions, strategic foresight, and action plans through approaches such as backcasting. The field of futures studies can add a powerful layer to planning practice in the quest of enabling systemic sustainability transitions in the urban realm towards more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive urban futures.

At the core of futures studies lies the understanding of the future as a widening possibility space with multiple possible, probable, or preferred futures. Combined with the multilevel perspective and system transition (management) theory, rather philosophical concepts of multiple futures can be translated into actionable insights. A key element, therefore, is the co-creative element, either through workshops, consultations, or validation mechanisms. Useful elements are the gamification of processes to increase the level and depth of participation, the use of design science approaches such as (future/anti) personas, and future studies-specific methods such as horizon scanning, trend mapping, Delphi, Causal-Layered Analysis, among other.

Building on the conceptual basis described above, the session shall provide an open innovation environment and testing ground for new approaches to collaborate, plan, and imagine urban futures. For this, the workshop is proposed with three phases:

1. Introductory capacity development, context setting, and process description (10 min)
2. Workshop phase in small groups (50 min)
3. Presentation and discussion of process and outcomes (30 min)

This shall lead to:

1. An increased awareness of components from the field of futures studies and possible fields of application in planning practice
2. An open ecosystem for exchange on practices, approaches, and tools for co-creation in planning
3. A set of possible urban mobility futures in the specific local context of Doha (or a part thereof)

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The session builds on research of Urban Mobility Futures, conducted at the interface of urban studies, mobilities research, futures studies, and design science. The supplementary research is part of the work of the Anthropolis Chair, managed by IRT SystemX and the Laboratoire Génie Industriel of CentraleSupélec, University Paris-Saclay. The workshop is facilitated in cooperation with ISOCARP Institute – Centre for Urban Excellence.