Visioning 2025 in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean Region
Territorial planners have always been inspired and guided by a global vision of their collectivities. From its initial historical anchors, visioning has now become a recognized building block in a science-based planning process. In this regard, prospective planning constitutes a valuable approach; we have experimented with this approach in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Region, Quebec. This region is facing major socio-economic upheavals which call for solutions that can lead to a better future. The prospective planning exercise we put in place enabled us to propose regional scenarios that would be measured and compared in terms of their capacity to allow for consideration of comprehensive alternatives, in comparison with the fragmented planning currently carried out in different sectors, localities, actions and corporations. The Vision 2025 modeling strategies applied in this context also serve as valuable tools to be used for future visioning exercises in territorial planning both within Quebec and beyond.