Shaping the Future of a Rapidly Growing Region

Shaping the Future of a Rapidly Growing Region
Américas
| 2009 - 2010 |
Alimentação / Comunidade / Sustentabilidade

We worked with the Social Innovation Generation department (SiG) at the University of Waterloo, the Musagetes Foundation, the RARE charitable reserve, and Render at the Unviersity of Waterloo to construct three scenarios about the future of the region. These scenarios were designed stimulate conversation among leaders across the region and to promote collective action to prevent unintended consequences of the region's growth.

Two unique aspects of this project were its inclusion of artists and an overall drive to initiate projects and actions parallel to the creation of scenario narratives. The three scenarios relate to economic crisis, multiculturalism, and natural systems including food production. Action teams produced rich visions for projects, some of which are still ongoing. The artists at Render (since renamed DodoLab) produced provocative installations for participants and have been involved in carrying forward projects from the scenario exercise.

Jeff Barnum and Adam Kahane continue to support SiG's work and are associates of SiG at the University of Waterloo.

Explore this project

The Elora Mill Inn.  Once a mill, the inn is an example of sustainable design - the river generates its electricity on site.

The scenario exercise in April brought together 36 leaders from across the greater Waterloo region to explore what might happen in the next eleven years.

The process is rich and rigorous: insights, conversations, ideas, and research gradually become challenging, relevant, plausible, and clear stories about possible futures.

One of the learning journeys took us to an apple processing family-owned farm, where we learned how apples are stored over the winter and gradually delivered into the food supply - and how demand for cheap food is related to urban sprawl!

Our host at the apple farm shows us the processing machinery.  After that we retired to his home and heard his story of farming within a context of increasing pressures to compete with imported fruits grown and processed with lower standards.

A model building exercise helps participants explore the implications of the scenarios they've articulated.  Pictured: Joy Roberts, Ajay Heble, Peter Kelly.

The scenario team relaxes on the balcony overlooking the rushing waterfall beside the mill.  Pictured in the foreground are Kirsten Robinson and Angie Murie.

Expert facilitation from Adam Kahane and Jeff Barnum guided the team.  Here's Adam working with the scenario team late into the second evening.

Downstairs at the mill, a group explores how art, culture and ideas shape systems in which we live, think, and work together.  Mick Grogan is filming in the foreground.

The Render team continually produced and installed artistic, sculptural and photographic pieces in the venue. The constant reflection of participants' ideas, feelings, and questions amplified and supported the scenario exercise. Pictured: Barbara Hobot

Frances Westley of SiG Waterloo presents her understanding of how the three scenarios are related in a whole view of the system.

Ajay Heble, the founder of the Guelph Jazz Festival and a leading thinker about how music and social competency are related.

More beautiful work from the Render team, provoking thoughtful reflection about the values and ideas active within the social fabric.

Andrew Hunter of Render and Laura Knap work with others on how the scenario results help us understand different modalities of social action.

One of the Render team's most appreciated interventions: the hotel's sign in the upper left -- and an artistic (and humorous) response below and right.

Waterloo Wellington Scenarios: Day One Introduction
Waterloo Wellington Scenarios: Going on a Learning Journey

The Waterloo Wellington Scenarios | View | Download