Cheap alternative energy is produced everywhere … investment and economic activity has spread across the planet … slow investment in education at home leaves US workers evenly matched with their global counterparts … worldwide growth fuels growth of American businesses.
Energy gets ever more expensive … political and economic power concentrates in the hands of international corporations… the consumer economy slows... a competitive advantage returns to dense urban regions… American higher education remains attractive to the global elite.
Newly discovered domestic oil and gas reserves fuel a fresh American boom… leading technologies are developed by US scientists and researchers… new revenues fund reforms in education and health care... success breeds tensions over labor, immigration, and anti-American terrorism.
Energy grows ever more expensive and the global economy slows … political instability hinders emerging markets … public/private partnerships in America support public services even as government shrinks ... investments in education and innovation help drive moderate growth.
Given these four futures, what must the region's leaders focus on to ensure that Greater Philadelphia thrives no matter what comes to pass?
