Abstract

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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title>
<jats:p>This paper aims to review the challenges of urban foresight via an analytical method: apply this to the city demonstrations on the UK Foresight Future of Cities: and explore the implications for ways forward.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title>
<jats:p>The methodology is based on the principles of co-evolutionary complex systems, a newly developed toolkit of “synergistic mapping and design”, and its application in a “synergy foresight” method.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title>
<jats:p>The UK Foresight Future of Cities is work in progress, but some early lessons are emerging – the need for transparency in foresight method – and the wider context of strategic policy intelligence.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Practical implications</jats:title>
<jats:p>The paper has practical recommendations, and a set of propositions, (under active discussion in 2015), which are based on the analysis.</jats:p>
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<jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title>
<jats:p>The paper aims to demonstrate an application of “synergy foresight” with wide benefits for cities and the communities within them.</jats:p>
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