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Future Column

Book by Oona Strathern: A Brief History of the Future

Learning from the History of the Future

Looking back from the future (regnose) is a well tried technique to think about outcomes and many writers and thinkers have experimented with this using different methods and with varying measures of success over the years. Here are just a few of the examples from some of the more colourful characters from my book, A Brief History of the Future (also in German, as Die Visionäre)…

From Co-rona Living to Co-Living

Once upon a time there were three grandmothers. Doreen, Dotty and Carol (you couldn’t make it up if you tried). They all lived happily in their own flats until one day they were told they had to self-isolate. All in their 70s and friends for at least 40 years, they decided it would be much more fun to isolate together…

The Post-Corona Hygge

Hygge, the latest sofa style, colour of the year, new cushion collections. There is something about these home trends that suddenly feels almost decadent, indecent. You might say they were always just “first world solutions to first world problems”. Yet how we form, celebrate or even decorate and furnish our homes is suddenly more important than ever. We need home to remember who we are, and what is important…

Salone del Mobile

Genius. That, small but powerful word, is, according to the president of the Salone del Mobile, the new directive being integrated into their official manifesto for 2019. Calling on the legacy of such geniuses from Leonardo da Vinci to today’s top designers it is about focussing on the ability to create and think in a way that will bring fresh ways of looking at the world and coming up with brilliant and effective solutions to today’s problems and challenges…

Women’s Boxing

Boxing for women is not a trend I was expecting to ever write about, nor is it one I imagined I would ever take part in. When trend researchers and futurists see a trend, when they notice a growing amount of people doing something that they themselves are maybe even doing – be it becoming vegan, drinking white tea or wearing purple (none of those naturally apply to me) – then it should be rigorously checked…

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A Tale Of Two Cities

What kind of city of the future do we want to live in? Last year I went on a mission to find what makes a city great. Or liveable. Vienna where I live is ranked highly in the various lists a of the world’s most liveable cities. In 2017 it came first again ( 8 years in a row) on the Mercer quality of living ranking…