Atlas NW - Background
Interactive tools for sustainable development
Interaction methods
Eco-quest NW is a 'time traveller' or 'sim-region' package which helps users to design and create maps of the future of the region.
It covers 6 key themes - cities, communications, economy, society, resources and environment. It covers a time period of about 40 years, from 'now' (roughly) to 2050.
The software builds in the values and priorities of users, and offers a set of detailed choices for lifestyles or policies. It then provides the feedback and 'consequences' of these choices, on a series of maps of the NW region. At the heart of the software is a detailed model of the urban development process, with its implications for environmental, social and economic issues.
The concept also draws from other projects such as:
- 'Integrated Sustainable Cities Assessment Method' developed by CURE with funding from the ESRC
- 'Visions NW' scenario project led by CURE for the EU
- 'Timetracker' projects led by Sustainability North West
The software does not attempt to 'predict' or 'forecast' the future of the region - this is simply not feasible by computer or any other means. It does aim to provide useful feedback on the question of 'what if', and to explore the possibilities in conjunction with debates, discussions, stories, maps, images etc elsewhere on this site.
