Citizen Narratives through Strategic Design: Dreamable Futures for Porto Alegre, the Educating City

Abstract

This study investigates the conception of Futures for Porto Alegre as an Educating City, involving a portion of the citizen community within the territory. By employing the concept of Pluriverse, which acknowledges the diversity of worldviews, values, and knowledge, the collaboration of different groups is incorporated to craft narratives guided by Strategic Design, illustrating the citizens' perspectives on education. This offers the possibility for the city to transform into an environment actively seeking regeneration, promoting sustainable, collaborative, and equitable educational practices. This article suggests that narrative workshops guided by Strategic Design play a relevant role in translating dreams into strategies and actions to enable an educating city of regenerative futures. To affirm this, ten citizen narratives are analyzed, contributing to an understanding of how communities can design the future of education in an ever-evolving urban context.