Futuring Perspectives and Practices for Urban Extension

Abstract

Extension is well-positioned to engage strategically with urban communities now and in the future. A century of collaboration and proven impact provides Extension with a valuable foundation focused on relevant service accessible to all people; applied science and co-discovery; respectful and inclusive engagement; and commitment to community well-being. An exploration of the literature on the future, from the Extension perspective and from external viewpoints, informs a contemporary approach to focus on the future of urban Extension. An interplay of Extension professionals with diverse community stakeholders and dynamic technologies bridges past perspective and current context with practical methods to address the future. Essential practices for urban Extension professionals include developing futuring literacy, experimenting with innovative futuring approaches, managing decision making as Extension creates the future, and entrepreneurially addressing change throughout the futuring process. Increasing growth and diversity in metropolitan areas present an opportunity to blend familiar planning paradigms with a more emergent model for urban Extension in which change is continuous, and leadership is agile (Doyle & Brady, 2018).