Foresight and territorial dynamics

The development of any region or territory stems from its own dynamic nature. Economic activity and employment are stimulated by the number of local initiatives plus the crossfertilisation of those same initiatives. Globalisation, external constraints and technological change are therefore not really obstacles to be overcome but rather opportunities to be seized. In our experience, participatory foresight exercise using simple and appropriate methods has proved to be a powerful lever for promoting territorial dynamics. G iven the overwhelming popularity of the term, globalisation should be defined here as integration within the major regions of the world. Yet integration in those regions may not be all that new; for example, French companies may well export 25 per cent of their production, but the fact is that the remaining 75 per cent of their production is consumed in France. Moreover, 70 per cent of our exports go to Western European countries where social conditions are comparable to our own. In all, 93 per cent of European production is consumed within Europe. These figures give us some perspective when considering the impact of globalisation on our economies and remind us that the causes of our difficulties are mainly internal. Indeed all European countries are subject to the same external constraints, yet unemployment rates are three times higher in Spain (15 per cent) than they are in Portugal (under 5 per cent). The same holds true of areas within the same country, for example, the unemployment rate in some areas such as the Pays de Vitre in France is one-third that of the Valenciennois area. So let us stop making the globalisation of technology or `̀ critical size’’ either scapegoat or panacea; instead we should take a hard look at our own responsibilities and capacity for initiative. An area creates development through the economic dynamism of its labour force or assets. The more numerous and enterprising the force is, the healthier the area will be. Unfortunately, rural France is shrinking while urban France is exploding. Unless there is some change of course, the Parisian region and a few metropolitan regions will soon be surrounded by a vast cemetery of French provinces. Yet it is possible to adopt a different territorial development policy. New communication and rapid transport technologies make it possible to achieve greater social cohesion at a lower cost. A global vision for 1001 local solutions Areas open up to globalisation more successfully if they have deep roots, for this process heightens an area’s need to affirm its distinct cultural and local identity. Globalisation and local cultures interact and mutually enrich one another. `̀ Going global’’ does not mean losing but rather cultivating what makes an area different. In other words, it requires a global vision to find 1,001 local solutions. Local development is not made possible by infrastructure and even less so by subsidies, which at best can only support it. For example, Sainte SigoleÁne, in the Haute-Loire region, has become one of France’s most important plastics centres despite its remote location and lack of a railway connection. The key to local development lies really in individuals and organisations. Everything depends on their ability to pool their energies in common projects rather than working against each other, for an area achieves strength The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at h t t p : / /w w w .e m e r a l d in s ig h t . c o m / 1 4 6 3 6 6 8 9 . h t m This article was first published in French in Futuribles, No 269, November 2001, under the title `̀ Prospective et dynamique des territoires’’, and was presented at the Fifth Symposium of the International Observatory for Regional Futures Studies, Lille, 18-19 December 2001. fo r es ig h t 4 ,5 20 02 , pp . 9 -14 , # MCB UP L im ited , 14 63-6689 , DO I 10 .1108 /146 366802 10453 146