Michał Marek STOKOWSKI*1
* Corresponding author
1 University of Warsaw, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, Institute of Urban and Regional Development, Warsaw, POLAND
E-mail: m.stokowski4@uw.edu.pl; ORCID: 0000-0002-8485-0760
Pages: 5-14. DOI: 10.24193/JSSPSI.02.WCCTU
Received: 01 December 2023
Received in revised form: 28 May 2024
Accepted for publication: 31 December 2024
Available online: 20 February 2025
Cite: Stokowski M. M. (2025), The Role of Foresight in the Development and Implementation of Climate Action Plans. The Case of Paris. Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning, Special Issue 11, 5-14. DOI: 10.24193/JSSPSI.02.WCCTU
Abstract. This article describes the use of a foresight study to create and implement a Climate Action Plan in Paris, France. Foresight is the purposeful and structured consideration related to long-term future and can be used in the process of strategic planning. City management is a challenge under dynamic global changes, so the use of foresight can support these processes. Therefore, it is worth pointing out good practices of appropriate application of foresight in cities. Paris was not accidentally chosen as the subject of the case study. France is one of the origins for both future studies and the foresight approach (la prospective), towards which today’s school of foresight is leaning. The main hypothesis of the paper is that the foresight study commissioned by the City of Paris, made by a consortium of external entities, was a useful element of strategic planning in the city. Research questions referred to the use of recommendations and inspirations from the study Climate Action Plan and the evaluation of the Plan’s implementation. They were also supported by observation on the purpose and structure of the study. The following methods were used during research: desk-research, document analysis, comparative analysis and in-depth interviews with authors, a city representative and scholars. The study showed that the research item Paris, an air of change has the characteristics of a foresight approach, was prepared for strategic planning, and was structured with a horizontal and holistic approach to the topic, which resulted in a significant part of the recommendations being translated into the Climate Action Plan, the City Office’s actions being in line with them. The use of foresight for Paris Climate Action Plan can be considered an example that sets good practices for city management in long-term planning.
K e y w o r d s: city, foresight, la prospective, Paris, development, plan, policy