Rivers of Tomorrow: Reimagining Urban Waterways Through Foresight and Play

What alternatives can be imagined for the futures of urban waterways? This study explores the use of foresight gaming to examine the evolving relationship between cities and rivers amidst climate change, urban expansion, and ecological degradation. Focusing on Rivers of Tomorrow (RoT), a customized adaptation of the Dreams and Disruptions foresight card game, it documents the game’s development and insights from two workshops. RoT serves as a sensemaking tool to surface diverse perspectives and enhance anticipatory skills, generating speculative insights shaped by participant contributions. The paper introduces a game-based approach that integrates play, systems thinking, and storytelling, while emphasizing Indigenous and decolonial perspectives. It explores contested urban water governance in Global South contexts and operationalizes foresight concepts within an immersive framework. By situating RoT within the fields of urban-river studies, regenerative futures, anticipatory governance, and decolonial foresight, this paper underscores its utility for collaborative imagination and policy-oriented scenario building. Key inquiries include the perspectives on rivers as living systems and how games like RoT can transform water governance. Through an examination of RoT’s design, implementation, and outcomes, this research contributes to futures literacy and ecological justice, assessing the game’s strengths, limitations, and avenues for refinement in gaming futures.