Making fruitful scenarios: an uncomfortable conversation

Opinie (Christian Salewski). Starting a conversation — Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the scenario method in spatial planning and design in the Netherlands. What can we learn from this enthusiasm for drafting alternative futures? "I will argue that in most cases, scenarios are unnecessary, pointless, or plainly misleading. They are esoteric – in the narrow sense of the word, only for the initiated – and rather useless for communication, and can certainly not predict any future."