„We will not know our own injustice if we cannot imagine justice. We will not be free if we do not imagine freedom.“
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
IMAJINE (Integrative Mechanisms for Addressing Spatial Justice and Territorial Inequalities in Europe) is a Horizon 2020 EU research project. It involves 15 institutions from 13 countries. For more information, visit www.imajine-project.eu.
Differences in economic prosperity and living standards exist across neighborhoods, municipalities, regions, and nations. These disparities contradict the principle of equal rights and opportunities for all EU citizens, regardless of their place of residence.
IMAJINE works to promote spatial justice – that is, to ensure different places are treated fairly and equitably, and that people’s ability to realise their rights does not depend on where they live.
As part of the IMAJINE project, one team used scenario planning to explore future possibilities for Europe. These scenarios, based on emerging IMAJINE findings, aim to challenge current assumptions and address territorial inequality and spatial justice. It's important to note that these scenarios are not desired futures or predictions, but rather imagined contexts that provoke thought about the future. Justice, being narrative-based, cannot be reduced to calculations or probabilities.
To understand spatial justice, we must consider not only current regional inequality but also how inequality and injustice may be perceived in the future. Predicting the future is uncertain, as unforeseen events can reshape expected outcomes.
The scenarios emerge from a 2 x 2 grid which represents different outcomes to two key uncertainties:
•the degree of either solidarity or autonomy in policymaking across the European Union
•the pursuit of either economic prosperity or well-being as a prevailing goal of European society
Explore the four scenarios:
On this website the document "IMAJINE - scenarios with expert responses" has been incorporated. The document can be found here. Further information is available at imajine-project.eu.