Towards an ideal scenario: Two attempts to integrate arts and science to address spatial issues

Abstract

This paper describes two attempts to generate knowledge by integrating research and design through scenario building, based on two projects in architectural and urban research. The first project, Large dwellings in Flanders, addresses the issue of the growing number of large dwellings in Flanders for which there appears to be a decreasing demand on the housing market. The second project, Ribbon development in Limburg, addresses the negative impact of the increasing ribbon development in the Belgian province of Limburg. Scenario building in planning and design has been criticized for failing to integrate rationality and imagination in a convincing manner. This contribution discusses how this weakness is addressed in both projects. Based on analysis of scenario theories, the paper builds a comparison of the projects based on six successive steps to elaborate a scenario, which are: identifying the scope of the scenario; identifying policy ambitions; mapping present and future dynamics; proposing a structured simplicity; designing the narratives; and finally, synthesizing the generated knowledge. It concludes by stating that scenario building achieves integration of rationality and imagination when applied as a process of reflection within a larger research framework, and as a result stimulates stakeholders to enquire into differing professional worldviews.