Baltic Sea Region: What future do we want in 2050?

A workshop aimed at discussing the future of the Baltic Sea Region took place on 5 March 2020 at Nordregio,  in Stockholm. ESPON supported and actively participated in the organization this event, which included interactive and role-playing sessions aimed at making together territorial futures for the Baltic Sea Region. App 50 participants including planners, experts, researchers and policymakers learnt about the territorial scenarios developed by the ESPON project BT2050 and how to use them in their activities.

The outcomes of this event are included in a short and interesting report: “The territorial future of the Baltic Sea Region - Insights for policymakers” that aimed at showing the usefulness of territorial scenarios for policymaking and future policy action.

Key Policy messages

  • Scenarios and territorial foresight are useful tools to support sound policies for our common future
  • The territorial scenarios developed in the BT2050 project are not about predicting the future. Instead, they serve as eye-openers to raise awareness and stimulate out-of-the-box thinking about the future
  • Current trends and their territorial implications need to be considered to create balanced, sustainable and desirable futures
  • Territorial scenarios empower policy-making, by enabling policymakers to prepare for the future, as well as inspire them to see the benefits and drawbacks of different paths that policies
  • Territorial scenarios can inform different levels of governance, different sectors beyond any administrative borders. It is in the hands of policymakers to consider them in the preparation of sound policies

Testimonials

"Thanks for organising such an interesting and successful workshop! This was also a good opportunity to further discuss ideas about a metropolitan perspective for the Nordic-Baltic macro-region, through both individual contacts at the workshop and through discussing the issues which you and your team raised", Peter Austin, Planning advisor at the Urban Development Department, Oslo Municipality

Thank you very much for giving access to very relevant presentations and material, as well as for the workshops that provided a lot of inspiration!”. Sabine Skudra, Spatial planning specialist, Riga Planning region

More information

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