Geneva Futures Talks #4: Resilient Urban Futures
As part of the Geneva Futures Talks series, the UN Futures Lab/Global Hub in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Centre of Excellence for Climate and Disaster Resilience (CoE), hosted an interactive strategic foresight session in Geneva on resilient urban futures. The event brought together policymakers, researchers, and urban development experts to address the challenges and opportunities shaping future urban landscapes. Participants engaged in a foresight exercise followed by a moderated discussion covering community resilience, urban innovations, youth and value shifts, and governance dynamics. The foresight exercises included:
- Horizon scanning to validate trends and drivers of change, drawing on insights from previous foresight sessions led by the UN Futures Lab/Global Hub, including the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Global Assessment Report and World Urban Forum.
- Scenario-building with the “Headlines of Tomorrow” exercise, exploring four potential urban futures: baseline (status quo), marginal (incremental change), adaptive (reformist change), and radical (transformational change).
- Development of narratives and identified pathways for achieving sustainable, climate-resilient urban development, emphasizing adaptive and inclusive strategies.
Why it matters
With urbanization accelerating and climate risks intensifying, cities must adopt forward-looking strategies to ensure resilience and inclusivity. This workshop demonstrated how strategic foresight can help cities anticipate challenges, foster innovation, and create adaptive pathways to thrive amid uncertainty. By emphasizing participatory approaches and diverse perspectives, the session advanced actionable insights for building sustainable urban futures and influencing global urban development discourse.
