Sustainability as a Problem of Design: Interactive Science in the Georgia Basin

Abstract

This paper reports on the general findings of the Georgia Basin Futures Project, a five year collaborative interdisciplinary participatory integrated assessment project undertaken in the Georgia Basin of Canada from 1999-2004. Key outcomes are discussed with regard to the development and use of participatory scenario-generation models and processes, the involvement of stakeholders and partners in such processes, the development of three urban-scale case studies, the use of such tools and processes in the classroom, the cognitive and behavioural effects of such activities, and the value of such processes for policy analysis. Some comments on the implications of this type of project for interdisciplinary research and project management are also included.