A new book written during the COVID-19 pandemic and global climate crisis paints a picture of how the choices we make today are vital in shaping our future built environment world – and asks us all to decide what sort of society we want to live in.
This is a vital moment in the global story, with many possible paths laid out ahead, but ultimately it is up to you to decide what you’re going to do. What kind of future do you want to live in and what are you going to do to make it happen?
Four Futures, One Choice
Co-authored by CSIC and Laing O’Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology Research Associate, Dr Didem Gürdür Broo, ‘Four Futures, One Choice – Options for the Digital Built Britain of 2040’ presents possible futures for the built environment to provide insight into how we can take swift and decisive actions to support a flourishing future and reduce our negative impact on the global environment. Developed by the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) as part of the Construction Innovation Hub’s transformative programme, the multi-disciplinary group of contributing authors are researchers at CDBB and includes: Kirsten Lamb, Richmond Juvenile Ehwi; Erika Parn, Antiopi Koronaki, Chara Makri and Thayla Zomer.
‘Four Futures One Choice’ brings focus to opportunities presented as we plan recovery from COVID-19, the role of data to support and enhance sustainability and equality, and the potential of the UN Sustainable Development Goals to shape the built environment world of the future. Highlighting four possible scenarios for 2040: A legacy of hope; Generation zero; Resigned to our fate; and Too little, too late; the book considers Britain’s economy, society and environment to explore the influencing factors and trends involved in each scenario, and the complexities of the interconnecting systems that shape these dimensions.
“While we can't guarantee, with any certainty, the outcomes our decisions as society, policy makers or decision-makers in the built environment will have, exploring future scenarios helps us identify the direction we would prefer and ultimately which way we should steer.”
The preview summary is available to read now and the book is launched on 11 December 2020. More details at the CDBB website.