Foresight diaries - reporting from the northernmost city of Romania

In the spirit of a Netflix limited series, I'll be sharing highlights from my recent foresight work focusing on the Future of Small Communities (rural and smaller urban). My report comes from Darabani, the northernmost city in Romania, where I took part in the 10th edition of the Zilele Nordului festival (North Days). This vibrant festival, masterminded each year by an enthusiastic young team led by ?tefan Tei?anu , wonderfully blends past, present, and future. This year's theme '#futures' (#viitoruri) was right up my alley. Music to my ears, as you can imagine ;) I was so enthused; I even had a thematic tattoo done! - see in the picture above.

The festival is a bustling mix of day and night activities, packed with concerts, events for children, debates for adults and young people, and plenty of workshops.

I was fortunate to wear multiple hats, as a workshop host as well as a participant.

For instance, one talk I attended was by Viorel Ilisoi, author of "Stralucitor." When queried about the future of small communities, Ilisoi shared his view of uncertainty and a potential loss of identity. He suggested that the only rescue for these communities could come from either top-down or bottom-up strategies. However, considering the current state of Romania, he believes that the most promising path is bottom-up, driven by the communities themselves.

Over the course of the festival, I led a series of 3 futures workshops around the Future of Small Communities.

Day 1 - Past and Present

On the inaugural day of the Futures workshop, the attendees and I journeyed into the past, identifying the critical transformational factors that have sculpted small communities into their current forms. Looking back before looking forward!

We then pivoted to the present, where I shared our research insights and global examples of small communities embracing change. Cases included the example of Taobao villages, rural livestreaming efforts, co-working and co-living spaces in rural Spain, a unique Dutch village custom-built for individuals with dementia, and even a small Japanese town where an AI robot ran for mayor (find all links at the end). These examples stood as tangible proof that the future is already here;)

This transition into the present sparked fascinating dialogues about possible future implications. Leveraging the Futures Wheel tool, the participants envisioned possible implications for small communities communities. Ideas ranged from a digitized, decentralized and democrativ '3D Village' to an 'Open Village,' where doors swing open for tourists on select days to experience local life firsthand. The growing trend of 'downshifting' from urban to rural locales also sparked interest. A group even proposed a village as a Tech-free zone where citizens have the right to digitally disconnect.

Day 1 concluded with a host of intriguing ideas and lively discussions. I'm eager to report back from Day 2 of our workshop, where we'll delve further into envisioning possible futures. And Day 3 will be all about exploring our preferred futures. Stay tuned! Great futures,

Diana

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Few examples from our research into current changes in terms of small communities all over the globe:

• Lormes, France - Digital village with high speed internet and fab lab
• Sende, Spain - Rural co-working and co-living space
• Downshifting in Romania
• Hogeweyk, The Netherlands - Dementia Village
• Taobao villages, China - Rural e-commerce
• Rural Shopstreaming
• Fluicity, France - Citizen consultation platform for participatory democracy?
• Beerse, BE - Youngsters involved in urban development
• Apolitical - A peer-to-peer learning platform for people working in the public service sector
• Japan - Robot to run for mayor in a small town in Japan