This collection of questions is designed to prompt you to imagine new ways of thinking about inclusive and sustainable futures for Scotland. Whether you’re a policymaker, a community organiser, a student, or simply someone who cares about Scotland’s people and places, these prompts invite you to pause, reflect, and explore ways of addressing social and environmental problems from angles you may not have considered before. We hope these inspire you to think differently, have new conversations, and lead the way to lasting and positive change.
It can be difficult to imagine how the future might be different from the present, which limits our ability to plan for something better than ‘more of the same’ or ‘business as usual’. Do our leaders have a creative, imaginative, and ambitious vision for a different future in five, ten, or fifty years’ time?
The Scottish Government already invests in initiatives that promote insulation, low-carbon heating, and responsible resource use. But further action is essential to meet our climate commitments. What additional policies, incentives, and innovations do you think could be introduced to accelerate progress and benefit Scotland’s people and environment?
The latest official summary of key economic statistics, forecasts, and analysis on the Scottish economy illuminated that prospects for economic growth in the immediate future are uncertain. New ideas such as the Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Economy have attempted to rethink what economic success looks like and what outcomes are desirable.
The Scottish Government is reviewing its National Performance Framework, which includes an ambition ‘to deeply embed a culture of strategic, long-term planning’. Yet political decision-making often operates within a five-year electoral cycle, creating tension between short-term pressures and long-term needs.
Since devolution, Scotland’s governments have taken steps to support local democracy, for example through the Land Reform (2003, 2025) and Community Empowerment (2015) Acts, and currently with the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill. But many people still feel decisions are made too far away from where they live, and that local voices don’t carry enough weight.