In the past few years we have seen the emergence of concepts such as the smart city, urban informatics [Unsworth’14], urban analytics [Marcus’11] and citizen science [Hand’10], which are seen to hold great promise for improving the functioning of cities. However, arguably most of this potential still remains to be realized. The opportunities are vast, but so are the challenges (Herranz’15 - Herranz, Ricardo (2015), “Big Data, Complexity Theory and Urban Development”, New Approaches to Economic Challenges, OECD Report).

Foresight Methodologies like Scenario Planning [Ramirez’13] are already applied in policy-making (e.g. the “Gesetzesfolgenabschätzung” in German legislation or “Integrated Impact Assessments” in European legislation) and are regarded as adequate means to prepare political decisions. However, the available methodologies are geared to high national levels and draw mainly on the results of in-depth research and expert judgements [Heuer’11]. They are hardly adapted to the usage in urban areas nor are they readily adjusted to incorporate big-data.

Furthermore, scenario planning methodologies have just recently started to become more participatory and build on the knowledge and experience of citizens and the population as such.