Contributions of foresight to the construction of futures in the territorial planning process

Abstract

The prospective is generally trend-based, quantitative and macro-scale. In territorial studies, it focuses on the elaboration of futures extrinsically to the planning process. Therefore, the application of traditional methodologies in the approach to territorial processes, particularly those associated with urban expansion in intermediate and Mediterranean cities, is difficult due to the scarce availability and systematization of data. This paper aims to generate methodological contributions by questioning the ways in which foresight is incorporated into territorial development planning processes. The prospective vision is based on the theory of complexity, applied to "Gran San Juan", Argentina. This allows generating an alternative territorial approach aimed at formulating future scenarios for sustainable territorial management. The relational methodology achieves a theoretical-methodological construct from the use of qualitative techniques. The results indicate the relevance of deepening the application of alternative methodologies that incorporate the prospective exercise in the whole process of territorial planning of intermediate cities.