Collective memories, place-framing and the politics of imaginary futures in sustainability transitions and transformation

Futures should matter (more): Toward a forward-looking perspective in economic geography

“…Furthermore, as crises of all kinds are occurring more frequently, scholars increasingly urge regions to embrace “transformative resilience” (Martin and Sunely, 2020), meaning that the regional future should not be a repeat of the past, but we should aim to build forward better, more sustainable, and more equitable. The recent normative turn in regional development and policy studies (Feola et al, 2023; Grillitsch and Asheim, 2023; Hansen, 2022; MacKinnon et al, 2022; Schot and Steinmueller, 2018; Tödtling et al, 2022; Uyarra et al, 2019) also points to the importance of imagining regional futures beyond economic growth and international competitiveness. This literature has accordingly engaged with the issue of “directionality” (Sjøtun and Solheim, 2023; Schot and Steinmueller, 2018) and “valuation” (Huguenin and Jeannerat, 2017; Jeannerat and Crevoisier, 2022) in policy-making.…”

“…By comparing regions that had similar preconditions but ended up with very different visions and development paths, or vice versa, we can examine the causal power of imaginaries that takes into account both contingencies and general mechanisms. Another highly promising research topic is to examine how distinctive collective memories of regional past can be mobilized by different social actor groups to produce different future visions of places (Feola et al, 2023).…”

Making Rivers, Producing Futures: The Rise of an Eco-Modern River Imaginary in Dutch Climate Change Adaptation

“…Sociotechnical imaginaries provide an entire demarcated framework in which some elements fit well and others do not. Moreover, futures are shaped through histories, past memories, and actively constructed memories about the past, often influenced by idealised wishes to go back to the past by redefining and prioritising pasts, presents, and futures [22]. In addition, rulers in every society have always legitimatised their power by actively devising 'convenient histories' that confirm their origin, position, knowledge, and authority.…”

Experiments in thinking otherwise: Embracing tensions in designing sustainable futures

“…industrial) stakeholders, which raises profound concerns about the authenticity, sincerity, and integrity of their application. It also emphasizes the importance of these processes taking into account diverse lived experiences, historical issues, memories of the past, and alternative problem framings and views of what constitutes desirability and sustainability (Daffara, 2011;Eames & Egmose, 2011;Feola et al, 2023).…”

“…This in turn leads to a distorted understanding of the potential impact and desirability of an imagined future and prevents the achievement of a truly sustainable 279 Paper 9 future. Scholars within futures studies have emphasized that sustainability disproportionately affects marginalized groups who are often excluded from or lack the agency to participate in such processes (Feola et al, 2023;Pereira & Funtowicz, 2013). In order to promote equality and inclusivity, more knowledge is required on how to secure the inclusion of diverse demographics and entities beyond living humans (e.g.…”