In late 2024, we gathered some of the most inquisitive brains from across Hoare Lea to consider what the first quarter of the 21st century could mean for the next.

During face-to-face sessions over three months, people from teams as diverse as healthcare, AI, comms, tech, public sector, sustainability and professional development discussed several potential scenarios, using horizon scanning and foresight methods, that could play out if we don’t plan for them now – and what this could mean for the built environment by 2050.

This was all conducted against a backdrop of sustainability goals outlined by the various COPs from the last decade and a half, with a lens on the ‘what ifs’. What if rising temperatures take out a major capital centre? What if big tech takes over from government? What if the robots become so sentient that they take positions of power in government and business? Who knows what this future would be like?

Using existing population and societal data, we extrapolated four scenarios and rated their probability and preferability. Each scenario has its benefits but also highlights many flaws. On the pages that follow, we’ve built each scenario and created personas for the people who could be living through them.