Scenario Planning: Uncertainties Facing Cities

Scenario planning with city and chamber of commerce representatives resulted in the following list uncertainties:

• Crime and Safety
• Urban design and open planning
• Zoning
• Population (numbers)
• Population Distribution
• Demographics
• Income
• Character of employment
• Natural disasters
• Sensitivity to sprawl and Suburban integration – retrofitting suburbs
• Architecture
• State of polluted land
• What it means to make a place
• Livability
• Financial stability
• Local economy
• How we measure success
• Road capacity (Peek Roads) – highway stranded asset?
• Access to Food (rapid growth of local growing capacity)
• The definition of Sustainability – idea or necessity – Distribution of Alternative Capacity
• The vulnerability of populations, industries
• The role of the city in society
• Emergency preparedness
• Possible manmade disasters that could affect the local economy
• Transportation policy
• Social equity
• Energy sources
• Education – delivery, and funding
• Housing prices
• The quality of the workforce
• The political climate
• Regional and national competitiveness
• The ethics of business (How are business ethics defined as Millennials move into leadership)

What would you add to this list of uncertainties facing cities?

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