A Proposed Framework for Regional Foresight as an Interdisciplinary Research Field Case Study: Yazd Spatial planning Document

Abstract

In today’s world, foresight approach is in the center of attention, and countries, regions and companies have started to develop plans in an organized, systematical way about a favorable future in a world that is becoming increasingly complex. Foresight is a systematic, participatory process that gathers perceptions of future and establishes medium-term and long-term outlooks with the aim of making up-to-date decisions and mobilizing common actions. The most important functions of foresight are: determining directions, identifying new trends, adapting goals to known needs, protecting and promoting decisions and policies with the preferences of stakeholders, improving external communications with research and educational users, and ultimately, defining priorities. Due to the importance of foresight and its effects on national macro plans, the success and efficiency of foresight processes have always been among important concerns of authorities. The present article tries to develop an appropriate framework for the implementation of foresight plans in Yazd’s Spatial Planning Document using meta-synthesis. For this purpose, the existing foresight frameworks were studied by researchers and experts, a new framework for foresight study was developed, and its reliability was verified by a group of experts. The difference of this framework with other ones lies in developing more comprehensive measures.

Keywords

• foresight
• meta-synthesis method
• spatial planning
• Yazd Province