Imagine 2050: Scenario Planning for the MSP Region

This session will present a real-world application of scenario planning theory. Using an ideal process as an organizing framework, Council staff will recount what happened when we embedded it in our long-range planning process. What worked, what needed adjustment, and what had to be left behind?

Attendees will hear organizational lessons: how we enticed recalcitrant partners; established shared priorities; incorporated uncertainties from various fields; embedded equity in each activity, and transposed information between technical staff and policymakers. We will also share technical lessons: How we had to modify standard modelling practices, invent new analysis tools, and approach measurement with a more open attitude. The opportunities and limits of modelling practices to examine equity-related issues will be discussed.

The 2050 Regional Development Guide that results from this process will shape 168 comprehensive plans in our region, addressing complex issues like equity, climate change and public health through the various roles and responsibilities of the Metropolitan Council. The lessons about working together, shaping a complex discussion, exploring futures and developing shared priorities and actions should also be of use to city planners and allied professionals who are similarly engaged in addressing complex problems in their own work.

Access this session with closed captions (Wordly)