The social and global fabric is constantly changing, presenting our society with increasingly complex and demanding challenges that are testing decision-makers in a context of growing uncertainty. On the one hand, we are witnessing technological development, economic and production changes, globalisation and the crisis of representative democracy.
On the one hand, we are witnessing technological development, economic and production changes, globalisation and the crisis of representative democracy. On the other, there is an increase in social activism for minority rights, equality of opportunity, youth employment and the urgency to address environmental challenges such as climate change and the water crisis.
These changes have significant local and global impacts, generating a widespread sense of uncertainty among individuals and policy makers. Managing this uncertainty and conducting social and spatial transformations are extremely complex for traditional forms of planning, which are more concerned with maintaining social order than with coping with change.
To face this challenge, the contemporary city has begun to experiment with strategic planning tools, which aim at a broader and more dynamic perspective. These tools are no longer limited to the physical transformation of places, but also focus on the construction of a territory based on interaction and a careful consideration of future possibilities.
In particular,the TOSCANA 2050 project proposes to explore different possible futures, from the most probable to the most desirable. This project is set in a context where strategic planning is the subject of ongoing debate, especially in light of recent events such as the pandemic, which has highlighted emerging challenges in a more pronounced manner.
The academic literature on this topic is vast and includes authors such as Bryson, Albrechts, Balducci, Healey, Calvaresi and Perulli. To synthesise all the reflections and experiences in this field is an arduous, if not impossible task.
The Scientific Committee has provided a basic theoretical overview in order to contextualise the theme of strategic planning and identify the most suitable approach for the work undertaken with the TOSCANA 2050 project and the result of this first, but fundamental, juncture can be consulted in the official documentation.