Signals

Portugal – The second day of Future Days 2025 kicked off at the Estufa Fria botanical garden in Lisbon. The morning began with a standout workshop led by the United Nations Futures Lab, where designers, strategic thinkers and futurists came together to explore the future of urban life in 2050.

Participants used the PESTLE framework (political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental) to identify signals, trends and drivers of change. These insights were then applied to a range of scenarios – from a baseline future marked by climate catastrophe that necessitates new UN treaties to radical visions of borderless societies governed by an Earth constitution. The session offered a focused space in which to consider how today’s decisions could shape tomorrow’s cities.

In the afternoon, speakers explored how marginalised communities can help shape more inclusive and imaginative futures. Creative coder and artist Lex Fefegha presented projects addressing the lack of diversity in AI training data, including Decentralise, previously featured on LS:N Global. He warned that if AI continues to learn from a past that excludes marginalised voices, it will inevitably reproduce those inequalities.

Pushing against dominant paradigms, Gem Barton, head of the SuperFUTURES research unit at the Royal College of Art, called for a fundamental shift in architectural education and practice. Drawing on queer theory, she advocated for a speculative, fluid approach rooted in world-building, arguing that usefulness and practicality are often colonial constructs that limit design potential.

The day closed with a shared message: to shape better futures, creatives must work within systems of power, and communities must be involved in decision-making. From workshops to panel debates, the consensus was clear – collaborative, inclusive approaches are essential for meaningful change.