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Key Driving Forces

Through a series of interviews we have identified ten key driving forces that will have a major influence on this region over the next fifty years. Please scan the ten driving forces below and their respective descriptions:

1. Climate Change: A focus on potential projections of future climate impacts, especially as they pertain to changes in the hydrological regime of this region.
2. Human Perceptions and Behavior: A focus on how societal behavior and perceptions may change in this region, and the consequent influence on lifestyle, consumption, attitudes and ethics.
3. Demographics: A focus on the future demographic distribution for this region including population size and growth rates, age and race distribution, household size and migration patterns.
4. Development Patterns: A focus on the future development patterns in terms of both their configuration and composition. Topics include spatial and temporal patterns of change to the region’s landscape. Specific attributes may include the form and density of new development.
5. Economics: A focus on the region’s economy under alternative scenarios. Critical components include the strength of the economy, the interaction between the global, national and regional economy, the diversity and direction of employment opportunities.
6. Knowledge and Information: A focus on how access to information can influence the future of the Puget Sound region. Topics include knowledge transfer within K-12 and higher education, new knowledge creation through research, and environmental awareness.
7. Natural Hazards: A focus on major hazards including seismic activity, flooding, droughts and landslides, as well as hazards brought on by war and bioterrorism. Topics include the potential for and impact of disasters under alternative scenarios.
8. Public Health: A focus on the interaction between the landscape and human health. Topics include the future of agriculture and aquaculture. In addition a look at how environmental changes including urbanization, pollutants and declining accessibility to natural resources may influence public health.
9. Regulations, Government and Leadership: A focus on alternative forms of governance for this region including political leadership, strength of public will, the direction of new regulation, and the centralization of control.
10. Technology and Infrastructure: A focus on new technological advances and their potential implementation through infrastructure improvements. Potential arenas of interest include energy provision, water supply, transportation and sewer and waste removal.

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