OUR METHODS 

We combine two practice areas that are typically siloed -- speculative futures and strategic planning. Together, they provide the information, vision, creative thinking and actionable strategies we need to face and build our preferred futures. 

Speculative futures provide frameworks for exploring, prototyping, testing and refining steps to achieve the futures we want. Based in creativity, empathy and iteration, speculative futures help build alignment among people from diverse backgrounds and turn ideas into action.

We use two different kinds. Science fiction prototyping. uses science fiction to describe and explore the implications of possible futures. Worldbuilding combines the power of research, systems design and storytelling to envision preferred futures and identify steps to turn them into reality. 

We link these creative tools with a forensic approach to strategic planning, grounding key decisions in tactical, quantitative research. Strategic planning allows us to identify the policy shifts, infrastructure projects, and migration patterns that eventually create conditions that make disaster inevitable. We look at factors like population density, emergency preparedness, climate change, demographic shifts and social psychology to understand what’s likely, and when.

© DfA | Design for Adaptation