Dare to dream: Bringing futures into planning

Futures studies and planning follow parallel and sometimes overlapping paths. Both are idealistic activities seeking to make people's futures more secure and more fulfilling. Many futurists wish that their dreams could be implemented, and many planners dream that their work could be less shortsighted and parochial. If only to fulfill these needs, these groups should pay more attention to each other. In this article, I attempt to strengthen the bridge between futurists and planners. My observations come from the perspective of someone with a professional and pedagogical interest in both planning and futures studies. I illustrate past, current, and potential contributions of futures studies to planning as follows: (1) the beginnings of futures studies in science fiction films, journals, and international development; (2) the role of envisioning, polling, and forecasting methods; and (3) the challenges of linking futures studies methods to planning. I then argue for a diverse approach in terms of methods and participants and assert that if planners are to embrace the future, their plans must begin with the future.