Decolonizing the Future: An Inclusive Approach to Futures
PAS QuickNotes 110
By Petra Hurtado, PhD, Destiny Brown
This edition of PAS QuickNotes is available free to all.
Planners shape the future of communities. In this work, different power dynamics can influence who has a say in that future and what the envisioned future might look like. Futures literacy and foresight methods can help to create more resilient and equitable plans. However, if the plausible futures we imagine aren't developed through an inclusive approach, they won't lead to a truly equitable future. To achieve equitable outcomes, we must rethink how we approach, imagine, and discuss futures.
One approach to inclusive futures increasingly discussed in futures work is decolonizing the future. This approach is not about revisiting the colonial period. Instead, it is about questioning the continuation of past and present systems, envisioning multiple futures by integrating diverse perspectives, and ensuring the resulting outcomes are translated into actions. Decolonizing the future is about creating safe spaces for historically marginalized worldviews and cultural identities, moving away from one dominant perspective, and encouraging the imagination and co-creation of many possible futures that encompass all identities, values, experiences, and perspectives.
This edition of PAS QuickNotes explains the concept of decolonizing the future and offers three questions planners can apply in their practice to transcend colonial legacies and co-create inclusive futures where all people are acknowledged, respected, and protected.
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About the Authors
Petra Hurtado, PhD
<p>Petra (Stieninger) Hurtado is the Director of Research and Foresight at the American Planning Association, heading APA’s research programs and foresight practice. In this role, she is responsible for expanding a future-focused research agenda, advancing planning practices that assist communities in navigating change, and developing APA's foresight practice to inform APA's strategic governance. Petra has a Ph.D. in urban planning from the Vienna University of Technology. Her areas of expertise and research include strategic foresight, urban futures, urban sustainability, smart cities, emerging technologies, nature-based solutions, and environmental psychology. Prior to joining APA, she worked as an advisor, planner, researcher, and educator in the global urban sustainability arena. Petra has authored and co-authored multiple books, research papers, publicly funded reports, and articles and has presented as a keynote speaker at numerous conferences around the globe. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland and at the Vienna University of Technology. </p>
Destiny Brown
Destiny Brown is dedicated to co-creating inclusive communities for historically underserved and marginalized people. She holds a B.A. in Political Science with a focus on Inequality and Justice from The Ohio State University and an M.S. in Urban Studies with a concentration in Urban Planning from the University of New Orleans. Her professional journey spans education, nonprofits, advocacy, politics, community organizing, and youth engagement. Through her master’s research, Destiny explores the intersection of environmental justice, planning, and children’s rights. As a member of the APA’s Trend Scout Community, she advocates for increased youth engagement in planning to build sustainable, equitable futures. Guided by a vision of collective imagination and liberation, she strives to transform policy and planning to ensure every child can flourish today and for future generations.