Reimagining the future of urban-rural balance: using scenarios to explore territorial inequality

Abstract

How will Europe's urban-rural balance shift in years to come? In times of uncertainty, when tomorrow may not look like today, how can researchers and decision-makers best explore future relationships and dynamics between regions?In addition, how can such speculations be related back to pressing questions in the here and now?In this Research Hack, we share our experiences using scenario planning to explore the future of regional development in Europe, and answer the question: why are serious researchers spending time dreaming of futures which may never happen?Can we re-IMAJINE territorial inequality?