The scenario method in urban planning

Scenario planning techniques are increasingly gaining attention in the process of spatial and urban planning because of their usefulness in times of uncertainty and complexity. Scenario planning encourages strategic thinking and helps to overcome thinking limitations by creating multiple futures. In this way, it can help to shape the future according to the values and desires of society. Although scenario planning has been used a lot in the business world, there are scarce examples of its application in the field of urban planning. One of the reasons for this is the huge variety of methods and tools with no general guidelines for the implementation of the appropriate procedure and techniques for constructing scenarios in urban planning. Although each exercise of scenario planning must be unique in its context and actors, the methodological approach may be similar. For this reason, the main goal of this paper is to systematize the known methods for scenario construction, emphasize the featured techniques and tools, and consider the possibility of applying scenario methods in the contemporary city planning.