The Scottish Parliament's think-tank

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Spring 2020: Upcoming Events

Scotland’s Futures Forum continues its exploration of our future with a series of events in spring 2020. Covering the future of education, the impact of innovation and sustainability on the jobs we do, and the…



Review of the year: 2019

2019 has been a busy year for Scotland’s Futures Forum. We’ve explored our shared future in urban and rural communities, hosted discussions on transformative ideas like a citizen’s income and a wellbeing economy, and welcomed…















Scotland 2030: A Sustainable Future for Rural Scotland

Scotland’s sparsely-populated areas are predicted to lose a quarter of their population by 2046, with the working age population likely to shrink by 33%. At the same time, the challenge of enabling the development that…











Spring 2019: Events Programme

Scotland’s Futures Forum is delighted to announce our Spring 2019 Programme of Events. As part of our Scotland 2030 Programme, we’ll be hosting discussions looking at the future for housing with an ageing population, and…











Futures Forum Bulletin: Autumn 2018

Hello and welcome to the Futures Forum’s bulletin for autumn 2018! With the Scottish Parliament having returned from the summer recess, we look back on a busy summer for us and forward to an exciting…




Autonomous Vehicles: Opportunities for Glasgow

On 4 July 2018, the Futures Forum held a seminar on the opportunities for Glasgow from the development of autonomous vehicles. Hosted by Glasgow City Council and produced in conjunction with Jacobs and Glasgow Chambers…










Summer 2018: Events Programme

Scotland’s Futures Forum is delighted to announce our Summer Programme of Events. In the Scottish Parliament, we’ll be hosting a panel discussion including author Christopher Brookmyre and robotics expert Professor Sethu Vijayakumar on our aspirations…




















Economy, ecology, aesthetics: competing interests in the land

By Eleanore Widger, University of Dundee and @Nell Widger   Earlier this year the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) and Mountaineering Scotland made an unlikely alliance in opposition to government plans to plant thousands of new trees. According to the…