“Nobody knows what the future will bring. Yet we cannot help but dwell on it.”
S1. CORPORATE LIFT
A European and global economic growth policy has further strengthened the dominant position of the tech giants and other corporations in the oligopoly*. The standard of living is high. Privacy has become a concern of the past. Being tracked by machines is common (and, in fact, quite useful) to people. The government is left with minimal responsibilities. It acts as facilitator for the giant economic players in favor of ecologically sustainable growth.
*An oligopoly (from the Greek words oligos, ‘little,’ and polein, ‘sell’) is a market that is only dominated by a few suppliers. In this market form, an economic product or a service is offered by a handful of large companies.
S2. CLIMATE CASCADE
Fast and far-reaching climate change initiated a domino effect disrupting the global economy. Cooperatives of micro-entrepreneurs in a variety of sectors rely on old technological platforms for their work. The level of solidarity among Ghentians is high. The government guarantees the infrastructure for connectivity and allows bottom-up initiatives free scope to realize small-scale solutions to large-scale problems.
S3. LOCAL SENTRY
Ghentians fully commit to their own local welfare and support each other’s bottom-up initiatives in a situation in which the standard of living is under pressure. A transparent digital monitoring and credit system encourages a modest life along the beaten path. By providing extensive digital government services, among other things, local governments are strongly intertwined with local life.
S4. ECLECTIC CURRENT
Profit is a concept of the past, to the regret of those who lost their socio-economic lead as a result. Thanks to governments’ devotion to far-reaching technological support on all conceivable services, Ghent has become a successful, super-diverse city. All efforts are directed to permanent technological, social, and societal innovation. Although the consequences of climate change are felt, the city is completely ‘climate neutral.’
THE COMPASS
None of these futures will probably become reality in the outlined form. However, some of their characteristic traits will become visible in Ghent and the world, either in the short or in the long term. If we look closely, we can spot them. That is why a compass is included in this document. A tool for properly navigating towards a preferable future, it contains pointers with indications of driving forces, building blocks, and their consequences for the main elements of the visions for Ghent which we developed with our participants. After all, the potential futures that we want to evolve to are not simply displayed for us.
LAYERED REALITIES
In each of the outlined images of the future, we meet two Ghentians who live their lives in these realities. To dig even deeper, we use the Causal Layered Analysis technique. This allows us to first describe the facts that are visible on the surface. Subsequently, we examine the systems or societal structures that these facts are embedded in. Then, we identify the worldviews that form the foundation of these systems, as well as the myths and metaphors which support these worldviews. This way, we make the deeprooted bases of our images of Ghent’s future explicit.
HOW ABOUT YOUR IMAGES OF THE FUTURE?
Finally, we would like to propose a fifth image of the future with an accompanying compass and a layered presentation. This is more than a merging of the foregoing. It is a reinterpretation with new combinations of building blocks.
Ultimately, it is our aim that everybody (including you) creates their own image of the future - one that you keep adjusting as you move through the world and through time. This image of the future will differ per person. If you share your ideas with us, we will include them in our ongoing efforts to think about a preferable future for our city. The more Ghentians think along about the futures of their city, the better these futures become. Enjoy the ride!
