With over one million people moving to cities every week globally, the world is currently undergoing the biggest wave of urbanisation in human history . As urban populations increase, future cities will also face an array of new challenges.

The accelerating competition over dominance between China and the US is starting to impact the technology industry. If the intensifying race for technology dominance between the world's two superpowers leads to a tech decoupling, it would have far-reaching implications for the future of global trade, tech companies and market regulations.

A new wave of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) services, which allow consumers to buy an item and pay later in interest-free instalments, have lately been shaking up the traditional credit card business. As a low-commitment, user-friendly and budget-focused alternative to credit cards, BNPLs are particularly favoured by tech-savvy Millennials and Generation Z, who are wary of credit cards.

How can the results of foresight work be communicated to management and stakeholders in an impactful way? What forms can foresight deliverables take, and how often should they be delivered? In the first Futures Clinic session of the year, Futures Platform’s Foresight Strategist Ira Stening and a team of senior advisors from the Norwegian Tax Administration discuss how to bring foresight into action through foresight deliverables.

As we spend more and more time in the virtual realm, the notions of luxury and status symbols begin to manifest themselves in novel ways.

From ageing populations and circular economy to the emergence of new payment methods, tax offices worldwide face multiple disruptive changes re-shaping their future operational environments. The Finnish Tax Administration has successfully integrated continuous foresight practice into its processes to better serve its clients.

Rapid advancements in automation and ever-increasing demand in e-commerce may soon pave the way for the wide adoption of robot and drone technologies in the last-mile delivery of products. Robot couriers have the potential to solve multiple issues associated with inefficiencies in logistics such as high labour costs, energy efficiency, and traffic congestion.

When there are no historical analogies to look back to, scenario planning can help us better understand and plan for a multitude of possible futures. In addition to enhancing efficiency, an established scenario planning process will empower organisations to proactively shape the future through strategic decision-making.

Born between 2010-2024, Generation Alpha will be the longest-living, most educated, and possibly the wealthiest generation. Growing up alongside technology since birth, their life experiences and preferences will differ significantly from earlier generations.

With the proliferation of fake news, algorithmic social media bubbles and the growing capabilities of technology to manipulate human senses, our relationship with reality is evolving. As new technologies offer increasing possibilities to curate and modify how we experience both our digital and physical surroundings, our perception of what is to be considered real may be radically reframed in the future.

As uncertainty about the future increases, wild cards and science fiction are gaining popularity among various organisations to foster future preparedness and visionary thinking. Exploring possible futures supported by free imagination is a cornerstone of versatile foresight practice.

Horizon scanning is the phase of gathering future-related knowledge, which is the first stage of the larger foresight process. It is about being vigilant concerning the changes in one’s environment. The main focus in this category of Futures intelligence is on discontinuities, emerging issues, and weak signals of change.