About this Event
Date and Time: Tuesday 28th April 2026 │ 13:00 - 15:00
Location: , Room 1.69/70
What will Greater Manchester look like in 2051? How will society be organised, what technologies will shape daily life, and how will the city respond to major disruptions such as climate events or cyberattacks?
This workshop, part of the RBOC N+ (Resilience Beyond Observed Capabilities Network) project, brings together sci-fi creators, urban thinkers, and futurists to collaboratively imagine possible futures for Greater Manchester.
We are developing a model of how stakeholders might respond to systemic disruption in a long-range planning context. To make this model richer and more grounded, we invite creative and imaginative contributions that expand beyond traditional forecasting.
Participants will help envision future streets, neighbourhoods, governance systems, infrastructure, and everyday life - creating narratives that inform and inspire urban simulation and resilience planning.
What to expect:
Guided creative exercises and speculative design activities
Collaborative world-building around Greater Manchester in 2051
Discussion of future technologies, social systems, and urban life
Exploration of responses to systemic disruptive events
Opportunities to contribute ideas that inform simulation models
Cross-disciplinary collaboration with creatives and researchers
Who should attend:
Sci-fi writers and creators
Designers, artists, and storytellers
Urban planners and researchers
Futurists and systems thinkers
Anyone interested in imagining the future of cities
Why attend:
Your ideas will help shape how we think about resilience, urban systems, and future city life. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to a living model of future Greater Manchester while engaging in creative, speculative exploration.
About Digital Futures
is a highly interdisciplinary network that operates across the whole range of the University’s digital research. We aim to present a coherent overview of The University of Manchester's digital research activity to external stakeholders and bring together research communities to explore new research areas and address strategic opportunities.
Register here to receive regular updates about Digital Future's activities. You can also connect with Digital Futures via X and LinkedIn.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00
