Houston Foresight “Transformation” @ Spring Gathering 2026
About a hundred students, alumni, and friends of the University of Houston Foresight program gathered for this year’s event on all things Transformation on April 10-11. Participants were welcomed to our new home in Sugar Land, an amazing brand-new, state-of-the-art facility and picked up their swag, featuring t-shirts, stickers, and socks. The weekend kicked off [...]
About a hundred students, alumni, and friends of the University of Houston Foresight program gathered for this year’s event on all things Transformation on April 10-11. Participants were welcomed to our new home in Sugar Land, an amazing brand-new, state-of-the-art facility and picked up their swag, featuring t-shirts, stickers, and socks. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-7384" src="https://www.andyhinesight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gathering-collage-1-1024x412.png" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" srcset="https://www.andyhinesight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gathering-collage-1-1024x412.png 1024w, https://www.andyhinesight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gathering-collage-1-300x121.png 300w, https://www.andyhinesight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gathering-collage-1-768x309.png 768w, https://www.andyhinesight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gathering-collage-1-50x20.png 50w, https://www.andyhinesight.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/gathering-collage-1-1600x644.png 1600w" alt="" width="1024" height="412" /> The weekend kicked off on Friday afternoon with the FAB (Futures Activation Lab) session featuring the annual Alumni Refresher on Activating the Future taught by Andy and Mina McBride, an overview of this summer’s elective on AI-Augmented Foresight being taught by alum Simeon Spearman, and most importantly, a series of presentations from our student award winners: the nominees to the Association of Professional Futurists Student Recognition Competition and the Houston Foresight Award Winners. This was followed with the traditional Friday evening tacos, which shifted to Torchy’s Tacos in Sugarland. Andy kicked off Saturday’s events that began after breakfast. We ran three tracks most of the day, one in the auditorium, another across the hall in a classroom, and a third in a nearby building where the Design Futures students held their experiential sessions. You can see session descriptions and bios in a nicely laid-out agenda crafted by the fabulous April Koury. What a remarkable range of speakers: Anthony Akins, Heather Benoit, Astrid Bradley, Brandon Brown, Kiran Carpenter, Ashley Chiarelli, Adam Cowart, Maria Crabtree, Christian Crews, Latrice Dudley, Stephen Dupont, Rachel Feine, Kristen Fikse, Leah Fischer, Blake Frere, Ingrid Furtado, Seth Harrell, Andrea Henderson, Xie Hill, Andy Hines, James Holcombe, Brittney Hopgood, Alan Howell, Martha Howell, Joy Jones, Philip Jones, Dexter Lam, Lavonne Leong, Tristan Markwell, Mina McBride, Autonnette McLauglin, Lyric Metroplos, Tim Morgan, Nicci Obert, Steven Pinckney, Jeremiah-Anthony Righteous-Rogers, Claire Routley, Mark Sheets, Simeon Spearman, Molly Taylor, Karessa Torgerson, Ed Venit, Crystal Washington, Amanda Rounsaville Welsh, Gordon Withrow. WOW! Take a look at this amazing array of topics, too: Future of the Arctic; Future of Future of the United Methodist Church, Missouri; Activating the Future; Social Cohesion for Arup; Systems Thinking & Honeybees; Neoarcology; Shell Sky Scenarios; Grounding in Groundbreaking; Future of the Womb; Future of Truth; Future AI Summer Course Preview; Transformation with STILE; Transformation in Practice: Navigating Obstacles; Econ 101 – Earning and Spending Credits in the New World, sponsored by MegaCorp; Transforming Workspaces: Designing Adaptive Environments for Human Performance; Communication Tools for Transforming Teams for Work in Foresight; The Civil Continuance Council; Digital Foresight: Data, Tools, and AI; The Kenotic Horizon: Institutional Relinquishment as Path to Regenerative Futures; Getting Paid for Transformation: A Practical Framework for Selling Ideas Without “Selling;” Transformation in the Era of Uncertainty: Pathways to Understanding; Corporate LARPing: A Workshop on an Enterprise Operating Model for Times of Transformation; Transforming Participatory Foresight into Participatory Strategy; The Brazil Signals Spotlight: Coming Together for a Brazilian Lunch in the Future; A Sense of Balance: Reﬁning and Recalibrating Shared Futures; The WTF Clinic: Withdraw (from) Toxic Fandom; Small Moves, Big Shifts: Using the Theory of Minimalist; Preferred Futures – Transforming our Students from Passive Observers to Active Participants in Life; Making Foresight Stick: The Organizational Readiness Factor; Seeding Transformation: Encounters with Prosocial Futures; Facilitating Transformation Panel; Localizing the Future; Feeling Our Way Forward: Aﬀective Foresight as a Pathway to Transformation The meeting adjourned to Talyard Brewing Company, where they held the top floor for us and the we packed it to capacity. They were great … kudos to the fabulous Nicco Obert for finding our new party home! The UH Foresight community is one-of-a-kind, and the annual Spring Gathering presents an incredible opportunity for the community to gather together, learn from each other, and have fun. Huge thanks to the team Adam Cowart, April Koury, Nicci Obert for making this event a huge success. — Andy Hines
How AI Is Augmenting Cities and What It Means for Houston
Guest Contributor: Lynn Chorn Part 1 of 2 Around the world, cities are using AI to be more responsive, more predictive, and less wasteful. Pittsburgh’s Surtrac system used AI to adapt traffic signals to reduce travel-time by 25%, wait-time by more than 40%, and emissions by 20%. In Buenos Aires, the city’s chatbot, Boti, has [...]
Guest Contributor: Lynn Chorn Part 1 of 2 Around the world, cities are using AI to be more responsive, more predictive, and less wasteful. Pittsburgh’s Surtrac system used AI to adapt traffic signals to reduce travel-time by 25%, wait-time by more than 40%, and emissions by 20%. In Buenos Aires, the city’s chatbot, Boti, has handled millions of resident interactions, helping answer common questions without forcing people into endless phone trees. And through Google’s Project Green Light, cities including Seattle, Boston, Hamburg, and Rio de Janeiro have tested AI-assisted traffic optimization. Google has said participating intersections have seen up to 30% fewer stops and around 10% lower emissions. Singapore analyzes real-time data to manage traffic flow, reduce congestion, and improve public transit efficiency. <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16105" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Future-Houston.webp" alt="" width="576" height="864" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Future-Houston-200x300.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Future-Houston-400x600.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Future-Houston-500x750.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Future-Houston.webp 576w" sizes="(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /> Consider that cities across the world are already using AI in core categories: efficiency, sustainability, mobility, and quality of life. For example: Making City Services Faster and More Responsive – Cities are adopting AI-driven communication platforms that streamline interactions between citizens and governments, reducing wait times and administrative bottlenecks. Maintaining Infrastructure – Cities are using AI to monitor infrastructure in real time and fix issues before they escalate. In New York City, sensor networks collect data across infrastructure systems, identifying maintenance needs and improving city services. AI-powered computer vision systems are used globally to detect graffiti, damaged roads, and unsafe crosswalks, allowing cities to prioritize repairs efficiently, instead of relying on complaints. Fighting Crime – In Seoul, AI analyzes large datasets to detect crime patterns and improve public safety strategies. AI -powered video analytics detects anomalies, monitors environments, and even deploys emergency services more efficiently. AI systems can identify patterns in data that humans might miss, making communities safer without increasing costs. Optimizing Utilities and Improving Sustainability – In Amsterdam, AI systems monitor and control energy usage across buildings. In the UK, AI-driven water systems have reduced operational costs and prevented millions in environmental penalties by detecting inefficiencies and leaks. Barcelona uses sensor networks to manage waste, lighting, and water systems more efficiently. And Tokyo’s “Plant Doctor” uses AI to monitor tree health and detect disease early. Creating a Sandbox Environment – AI is enabling cities to simulate the future before building it. In Singapore and Shanghai, digital twin models replicate entire urban environments, allowing planners to test infrastructure changes, population growth scenarios, and environmental impacts before implementation, avoiding costly mistakes. So what about Houston? Patrick Oathout has some ideas. He oversees a team of 90 at Scale AI, a company dedicated to ensuring the safe use of AI. He was running for Houston City Council District C. He has a unique perspective because he understands AI better than most, is a Houston native, and is civic-minded. I recently interviewed him for this blog post. He brought up 311, which may be the clearest example of where residents feel the drag of city government. “Services are often customer service fronts. I’m missing my trash can, my I have a pothole in my road. There’s flooding, and so 311, these days in Houston is notoriously delayed,” Oathout said. “It takes six to nine months to solve something.” An example is that a resident missing a trash pickup or dealing with a lost trash can should not have to wait on hold, get transferred, or file multiple tickets to learn what happened. A well-designed AI assistant could answer routine questions instantly, check service schedules, guide residents to the right department, and summarize requests, giving staff more time to solve other problems. That same logic applies to permitting. If an application is missing documents, if a form is incomplete, if a submission does not match code requirements, AI can flag those issues in seconds. Oathout supports that kind of use, but with an important boundary: there should be “a human in the loop.” The most useful municipal AI is not the kind that replaces humans, but removes the slow, grinding friction from systems residents already dislike. “It would save the city time and organizational drag,” he added. And for developers looking to build here, it could save them money on permitting delays. Houston-area researchers are also working on AI-assisted flood modeling, mapping, and infrastructure analysis, which could have far-reaching implications for the flood-prone city. Houston also struggles with deteriorating infrastructure, specifically water lines. AI-assisted maintenance could help identify failing lines, road deterioration, or public equipment problems before they become emergencies. All this will help Houston become more resilient in the future. The uses for AI in the coming decades are limitless. Oathout sees that long horizon clearly. “AI will be the infrastructure, the underpinning infrastructure, digital infrastructure, for all of this,” he said. He was speaking about a future that, in many cases, is already here. That is not to say adopting AI to help Houston isn’t without risks. Oathout explained that cities, like private entities, will be slow to adopt it for customer-facing interactions because people are unlikely to give the system another chance if there is a problem. Cities are not just service providers. They are public institutions, which means they operate under a burden of legitimacy that private companies do not. A retail chatbot can be annoying and still survive. A city chatbot that gives one outrageous answer can become a political crisis overnight. Oathout put it bluntly: “All you need is one social media moment” for a municipal AI system to say something offensive, dangerous, or absurd, and public officials may shut the whole experiment down indefinitely. This could have a ripple effect on the adoption of other AI systems, which have the potential to benefit the city. I believe that Houston will get there. The city has always prided itself on its modernization and has not shied away from it. And the adoption of AI is another technological change that will transform the city in unforeseen ways, just like air conditioning did. My money is on the city becoming more sustainable, more efficient, and more livable. About Lynn Chorn <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-16102 alignleft" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/200x200-Lynn-Chorn-headshot.webp" alt="" width="200" height="200" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/200x200-Lynn-Chorn-headshot-66x66.webp 66w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/200x200-Lynn-Chorn-headshot-150x150.webp 150w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/200x200-Lynn-Chorn-headshot.webp 200w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />I’m a generalist, urbanist, and futurist with a 30-year background in small business development, investing and project management. I believe all cities can become more walkable, sustainable, and economically resilient. I work with city stakeholders to design the futures they want and avoid those they don’t, ensuring long-term stability and prosperity for residents, developers, and businesses.
Nicci Obert Receives HDCS Staff Achievement Award
Department Chair Barbara Stewart, Nicci Obert, Andy Hines The Department of Human Development & Consumer Science, within which our Foresight program sits, initiated a series of Excellence awards to recognize outstanding contributions to the Department. I am very pleased to announce that our very own star Nicci Obert was honored with a Staff [...]
<img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-16088" class="wp-image-16088 size-fusion-400" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-400x601.webp" alt="nicci obert receiving staff achievement award" width="400" height="601" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-200x301.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-400x601.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-500x752.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-600x902.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-681x1024.webp 681w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-700x1052.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-768x1155.webp 768w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-800x1203.webp 800w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-1022x1536.webp 1022w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped-1200x1804.webp 1200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/nicci-award-cropped.webp 1287w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" /> Department Chair Barbara Stewart, Nicci Obert, Andy Hines The Department of Human Development & Consumer Science, within which our Foresight program sits, initiated a series of Excellence awards to recognize outstanding contributions to the Department. I am very pleased to announce that our very own star Nicci Obert was honored with a Staff Achievement Award. The awards were voted on by an Awards Committee, which gathering feedback about prospective candidates. Among the comments made about Nicci: “Nicci consistently goes above and beyond her formal role, demonstrates both vision and follow‑through, and is deeply dedicated to supporting students and the long‑term success of the program.” “She manages demanding research projects, including complex contracts, and helped develop a user’s guide that has made each successive project run more smoothly.” “She has taken the initiative to respond to student inquiries and created a tracking system that has become essential as the number of inquiries grows.” “She volunteers countless hours to our Spring Gathering team and she was instrumental in launching the ‘Foresight Activation Lab.” It’s great to see her work being recognized by colleagues in our Department. Congratulations, Nicci … well deserved.
Making Futures Land: The Art of Communicating Foresight
There’s a gap between doing good foresight work and getting anyone to care about it, and navigating that gap is where the real challenge begins.
Guest Contributor: Ariwoola Ogbemi Ariwoola is a student in the University of Houston Foresight Program. This post draws on Scott Smith’s “Notes to Young Foresighters” and discussions from the Pro Seminar in Foresight class. <img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-16076" class="size-full wp-image-16076" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Photo-by-Vecteezy.webp" alt="" width="374" height="262" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Photo-by-Vecteezy-200x140.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Photo-by-Vecteezy-300x210.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Photo-by-Vecteezy.webp 374w" sizes="(max-width: 374px) 100vw, 374px" /> Photo by Vecteezy There is a gap between doing good foresight work and getting anyone to care about it. Navigating that gap is one of the less talked about parts of the work. I work in strategy in the energy sector. The people I work with are smart and analytical. We plan long-horizon investments. We build major infrastructure. These are exactly the kinds of people who should want to think about the future. And yet, the moment a conversation starts to sound like foresight, engagement feels difficult. When I started the Houston Foresight program, I thought my biggest challenge would be mastering the methods. The scanning. The scenarios. The frameworks. What I’ve found is that the analysis is the easy part, at least for me. The hard part, when I try to apply this to my work, is getting people to listen, and frankly, to care. The “So What” Problem You can build a beautiful set of scenarios, map out a dozen emerging trends, and put together a fancy presentation, and still get a room full of polite, disengaged faces staring back at you. In one of my class readings, Scott Smith, a foresight practitioner, addresses this challenge directly in his piece Notes to Young Foresighters. He argues that a trend without a “so what” is incomplete. Without the implications, it is just an observation. I have experienced this firsthand. I have walked into a room with what I thought was a genuinely important signal about where the energy sector was heading, and watched the conversation stall the moment it moved from “interesting” to “so what does this mean for us?”. If you do not have that answer ready, the insight does not survive the meeting. Naming and Framing Smith also talks about the importance of labeling. He calls it micromarketing: your insights are products, and you have to give them good names. The name is often the only thing that stays with the audience long after the presentation is over. This is not just a foresight problem. Research in organizational communication consistently shows that how an idea is framed shapes whether it gets adopted, ignored, or actively resisted. People do not evaluate ideas in isolation; they evaluate them against the mental models they already hold. In the energy sector, I have seen how the same signal can land completely differently depending on how it is framed. A shift that reads as a distant technology story gets set aside. The same shift, framed as a question about the value of current assets in fifteen years, gets people’s attention. Communicating Uncertainty One of the most uncomfortable parts of foresight communication is that you are not there to give people a single answer. Most people in strategic roles are comfortable with ambiguity; what they are less comfortable with is ambiguity that does not come with a direction. They want something they can act on. This is where a lot of foresight work falls short. The analysis is rigorous, the signals are real, but the communication stops at “here is what is changing” without getting to “here is what that means for the decisions you are making now.” The step from observation to implication is critical: that is where the work lands or does not. The reframe that tends to work is moving from a single view of the future to a range of possibilities. Instead of presenting one trajectory, you help people think through what could happen and what they should be ready for. That shift, from a fixed outlook to a possibility space, is often what makes foresight click for a skeptical audience. The Real Job The Houston Foresight program teaches you to think rigorously about the future: how to work with uncertainty in a structured way, how to make sense of complexity, how to develop a point of view. That foundation is essential. But it is only half the job. The other half happens in the room. It happens when you have to take careful, nuanced analysis and make it matter to people who are busy, skeptical, or simply not yet convinced that the future is relevant to what they are working on today. That is a different skill, and it is one the program pushes you toward but that you ultimately have to develop through practice. Smith ends his piece with a simple piece of advice: be bold, and stay with it. If you believe something is worth saying, say it clearly and stand behind it. Getting people to think differently about the future is the whole point. Everything else is preparation. Looking Ahead The challenge of making foresight land is not getting easier. As AI tools make it easier to generate analysis, scan signals, and produce scenario outputs at scale, the bottleneck shifts further toward the human side of the work: judgment, framing, and the ability to make complex futures feel relevant to the people in the room. The foresight practitioners who will matter most in the coming years are not necessarily the ones with the most sophisticated methods. They are the ones who can take a well-grounded view of what might be coming and make it land with the people who need to hear it. References Smith, S. (2011, October 6). Notes to Young Foresighters. Changeist. About Ariwoola Ogbemi Ariwoola Ogbemi is an energy industry executive, with over 20 years of broad international experience across three continents. Her areas of expertise span strategy, business development, leading complex organizations and driving change. She holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and an MBA, and will graduate from the University of Houston’s Master of Science in Foresight program in Spring 2026. She is a member of the Association of Professional Futurists.
AfSA and the Future of African Space Governance
In a world shaped by geopolitical tension, technological competition, satellite dependence, and growing rivalry over data and infrastructure, the real question is no longer whether Africa will participate in space, but how it will govern its interests there.
Contributor Patricia Mugenzi <img decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-16059 size-thumbnail" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Patricia-Mugenzi-150x150.webp" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Patricia-Mugenzi-66x66.webp 66w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Patricia-Mugenzi-150x150.webp 150w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Patricia-Mugenzi-200x200.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Patricia-Mugenzi.webp 231w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" />Abidjan, 1 April 2026, 10:50 PM (UTC+0). Today, the world is watching Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed mission toward the Moon since the Apollo era. Four astronauts are preparing for a ten-day journey that revives an old dream of lunar exploration. But as this new chapter of space history unfolds, I find myself thinking about Africa. Not because Africa is absent from the global space conversation, but because its place in that conversation is changing. In a world shaped by geopolitical tension, technological competition, satellite dependence, and growing rivalry over data and infrastructure, the real question is no longer whether Africa will participate in space, but how it will govern its interests there. This matters because many African institutions still rely on external platforms such as Copernicus, NASA’s open datasets, Google Earth Engine, and commercial imagery providers. While these tools are immensely valuable, they also quietly shape who interprets data, who builds expertise, who owns the insights that follow, and who ultimately benefits from the knowledge produced. Like roads, electricity, or internet access, satellite connectivity is becoming basic infrastructure. And as with any infrastructure, the rules around who provides it can shape who benefits most. Dependence is never neutral. That is precisely why space governance matters. The African Space Agency (AfSA) sits at the heart of that question. Formally inaugurated in April 2025, AfSA is not meant to become a continental version of NASA, racing toward prestige missions or symbolic technological victories. Its role is quieter, but arguably more strategic: to help coordinate Africa’s space ambitions, align policies, strengthen technical capacity, improve access to data, and build cooperation across a field that is still unevenly developed across the continent. In that sense, AfSA represents something important. It is not just about joining the space age. It is about shaping the rules, partnerships, and institutions that will determine who benefits from it. The future of African space governance may come down to three big balancing acts. First, there is the question of how African countries can work together without losing too much control. That tension is already visible in satellite connectivity, where operators still face a fragmented regulatory environment rather than a truly coordinated continental market. Second, there is the challenge of partnership without dependency. South Africa’s current debates around satellite internet regulation show how difficult it can be to balance domestic priorities, such as ownership and inclusion, with the need to attract global providers. The planned changes to South Africa’s Electronic Communications Act directly address the current requirement for foreign-owned communications licensees to sell 30% of equity in their local subsidiaries to historically disadvantaged groups. (Gullapalli, 2025) Third, there is the question of usefulness. For most African citizens, the value of space will not be measured by prestige alone, but by whether it improves everyday life. In Nigeria, satellite-enabled health initiatives have helped extend services to remote communities and improve public health data. In Ghana, satellite-supported agricultural programmes (SAT4farming) have helped cocoa farmers improve productivity and incomes. Together, these examples suggest that Africa’s space future will be judged by whether it delivers practical value. There are already signs that this future is taking shape. Across the Global South, there is growing concern over who controls and interprets strategically important data, including in areas such as climate and agriculture. At the same time, partnerships with actors such as China, India, and the UAE are expanding through training, launches, and technology transfer. Meanwhile, demand is growing for practical, repeatable services closer to the ground: cities want continuous land-use monitoring, humanitarian agencies rely more on satellite-based early warning, and African startups are turning geospatial data into tools for agriculture, mobility, and climate adaptation. As Amaka Yvonne Onyemenam writes, “The 21st century must decide what sovereignty means in orbit.” The future of African space governance will be shaped not only by ambition, but also by questions of sovereignty, capability, and public usefulness. Abidjan, 2 April 2026, 01:35 AM (UTC+0). Two hours have passed since Artemis II lifted off. It’s a success, at least so far. The world will remember this night for a journey back toward the Moon. I will remember it for a different reason. <img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-16060" class="size-full wp-image-16060" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis.webp" alt="" width="605" height="337" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis-200x111.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis-300x167.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis-400x223.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis-500x279.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis-600x334.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/artemis.webp 605w" sizes="(max-width: 605px) 100vw, 605px" /> Photo: Reuters / Joe Skipper
In the aftermath of that storm, the old infrastructure failed. People were left to find their own way. Our community's lifeways then began to be heard differently, their knowledge sought after for lessons, not as artifacts or displays of long-gone heritage.
Guest contributor: Sarah Brooks <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16045" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild.webp" alt="" width="936" height="936" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-66x66.webp 66w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-150x150.webp 150w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-200x200.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-300x300.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-400x400.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-500x500.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-600x600.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-700x700.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-768x768.webp 768w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild-800x800.webp 800w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/rebuild.webp 936w" sizes="(max-width: 936px) 100vw, 936px" /> 2074 Community Bazaar haul, obtained by barter This morning, I moved through the makeshift community bazaar with a cup of coffee in hand. Real coffee, from the thinning yields grown in the highlands two valleys over, and traded here in paper bags for whatever people have to offer. It warmed me in the morning chill. The bazaar stalls were arranged under a patchwork of shade structures, neighbors spread their things on tables and blankets: hand tools, seed packets, repaired electronics, and cloth. The air smelled of woodsmoke, the sharp pine resin, and the green scents of wild onion and ramp. The flow of people and goods carried me along. I stopped at a table of old clothes, arranged in loose groupings by someone who had taken care with them. Among them was a bandana. I picked it up. It was nostalgic to hold a piece of fabric meant for the body as is, with only its cotton properties: softness against the skin, a buffer against a cool breeze, protection from the sun, dust, and sweat. All our fabrics are now blended with nanotechnology and thermochromic coatings, letting us regulate our body temperature as conditions shift. The temperatures of our days swing wildly, thirty degrees or more between sunrise and sunset, and having the right garment is a matter of health and even survival. The bandana’s once-bright red had faded to a light grey. I looked more closely at the patterns of words and printed images. It was a commemoration of Hurricane Helene, which struck Toogeyi (Asheville) in 2024. By then, the Cherokee name had been in active reclamation for decades. Now, fifty years on, Toogeyi is what most people say first. I read the words around its perimeter, set among images of Appalachian Mountain peaks, wildlife, and scenery from Pisgah National Forest: Aniyvwiya: Strong. And Udeligv: Rebuild. My grandparents had told me about the hurricane and how it had destroyed homes and businesses in their community. When they described it, it seemed so long ago. But holding this cloth, I felt the distance collapse, and I wondered who had worn this garment originally. The bandana has always been a symbol of community pride and resilience. Its meaning has only deepened in the decades since Helene. In the aftermath of that storm, the old infrastructure failed. People were left to find their own way. Our community’s lifeways then began to be heard differently, their knowledge sought after for lessons, not as artifacts or displays of long-gone heritage. The understanding of how to live in a reciprocal relationship with a watershed, how to read a forest, and how to build with the land rather than on top of it was kept alive through generations. Parents and grandparents taught their children the language, ceremonies, and responsibilities, even as the broader culture worked steadily to erase them. That work, sustained over more than a century of pressure, became the foundation that Toogeyi rebuilt on. Now the rivers are named again in Cherokee. The building practices follow the ridgelines. The food systems root downward into the soil instead of importing goods from thousands of miles away. What was once called alternative is now simply how things are done. The woman who sold the bandana to me looked to be in her forties, about 20 years older than me. She didn’t know the story of it, she said. She had found it at another bazaar, years ago, and kept it because it felt important. I felt that, too. Whatever its origin, I feel it belongs here with me. It’s a thing that has likely passed through many hands to arrive in mine. It carries both a commemoration of catastrophe and the stubborn insistence of survival stitched into the cloth. It reminds me of the cycles of culture, nature, and time, and the constant re-writing of futures. For our peoples and for all peoples. Udeligv. Rebuild. About Sarah Brooks <img decoding="async" class="alignleft wp-image-16046 size-thumbnail" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-150x150.webp" alt="" width="150" height="150" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-66x66.webp 66w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-150x150.webp 150w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-200x200.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-300x300.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-400x400.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-500x500.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-600x600.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-700x700.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-768x768.webp 768w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-800x800.webp 800w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-1024x1024.webp 1024w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-1200x1200.webp 1200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sarah-Brooks-1536x1536.webp 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /> I am a multidisciplinary designer, writer, and inner world explorer dedicated to creating provocative artifacts and stories about possible regenerative futures. I have led teams through change and innovation across public and private sectors and taught at leading design programs. My work is rooted in living systems and the belief that imagination and intuition are essential tools for shaping what comes next. Links: <a id="OWAe71f2d7d-d6b6-561a-eba2-a38383659014" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.sarahbbrooks.com__;!!LkSTlj0I!CyZ7N9UgeojySebEsGvF2wKuWuY6rcsYtfmXQQVG0-KrbYf6uVdCOMKc849dJEeb8stpNGFrFW1o6SJdjkZxAw$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.sarahbbrooks.com__;!!LkSTlj0I!CyZ7N9UgeojySebEsGvF2wKuWuY6rcsYtfmXQQVG0-KrbYf6uVdCOMKc849dJEeb8stpNGFrFW1o6SJdjkZxAw$" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="0">sarahbbrooks.com <a id="OWA47e0c096-f063-4cb7-3921-37346ed27d41" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://morethanhumancards.com__;!!LkSTlj0I!CyZ7N9UgeojySebEsGvF2wKuWuY6rcsYtfmXQQVG0-KrbYf6uVdCOMKc849dJEeb8stpNGFrFW1o6SLMdGM__A$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://morethanhumancards.com__;!!LkSTlj0I!CyZ7N9UgeojySebEsGvF2wKuWuY6rcsYtfmXQQVG0-KrbYf6uVdCOMKc849dJEeb8stpNGFrFW1o6SLMdGM__A$" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="1">morethanhumancards.com <a id="OWA789ebcd8-ea1d-5921-6bb9-58b30a3e52ae" title="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbbrooks/__;!!LkSTlj0I!CyZ7N9UgeojySebEsGvF2wKuWuY6rcsYtfmXQQVG0-KrbYf6uVdCOMKc849dJEeb8stpNGFrFW1o6SL-UZ6LEg$" href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbbrooks/__;!!LkSTlj0I!CyZ7N9UgeojySebEsGvF2wKuWuY6rcsYtfmXQQVG0-KrbYf6uVdCOMKc849dJEeb8stpNGFrFW1o6SL-UZ6LEg$" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">LinkedIn
Foresight alum Ashley Chiarelli to lead new strategy practice at Kirksey Architecture
We're excited to share that Houston-based Kirksey Architecture has hired U of Houston Foresight Alumna Ashley Chiarelli to lead a newly launched Strategy and Foresight practice. Chiarelli brings more than a decade of experience at the intersection of architecture, data, and organizational strategy, and will focus on helping clients make earlier, more informed decisions—from initial visioning [...]
We’re excited to share that Houston-based Kirksey Architecture has hired U of Houston Foresight Alumna Ashley Chiarelli to lead a newly launched Strategy and Foresight practice. Chiarelli brings more than a decade of experience at the intersection of architecture, data, and organizational strategy, and will focus on helping clients make earlier, more informed decisions—from initial visioning through implementation. The new practice formalizes a more data-driven, long-range approach to planning and design, expanding how Kirksey supports clients facing increasingly complex projects. <img decoding="async" class="alignright wp-image-16033 size-medium" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-300x200.webp" alt="" width="300" height="200" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-200x133.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-300x200.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-400x267.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-500x333.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-600x400.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-700x467.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-768x512.webp 768w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-800x533.webp 800w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-1024x683.webp 1024w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-1200x800.webp 1200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli-1536x1024.webp 1536w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/chiarelli.webp 1620w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> Chiarelli brings more than a decade of experience working at the intersection of architecture, data capture and visualization, and organizational strategy. In her new role with Kirksey, she will lead the firm’s Strategy and Foresight efforts, a specialized service focused on providing decision support from early visioning through implementation. Her work focuses on helping clients make more confident and informed decisions while also aligning business goals with a forward-thinking architecture perspective. It is great to see our alums bringing the foresight perspective to a growing number and range of firms. Congratulations, Ashley!
Congrats to all our Fall 2025 graduates! We gathered some local students and alums, friends, and family and had a nice celebration at our favorite spot, Goode's. The Fall grads are Otto Jimenez and Jessica Robbins (walked the stage) along with Mason Henderson, and Catherine Roy. Of course, they are aware that graduating is just [...]
Congrats to all our Fall 2025 graduates! We gathered some local students and alums, friends, and family and had a nice celebration at our favorite spot, Goode’s. The Fall grads are Otto Jimenez and Jessica Robbins (walked the stage) along with Mason Henderson, and Catherine Roy. Of course, they are aware that graduating is just a shift in status and we expect participating in the Houston Foresight community to continue! <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-14296" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-768x1024.webp" alt="" width="768" height="1024" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-200x267.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-225x300.webp 225w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-400x533.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-scaled-500x667.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-600x800.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-scaled-700x933.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-768x1024.webp 768w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-800x1067.webp 800w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-1152x1536.webp 1152w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-1200x1600.webp 1200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-1536x2048.webp 1536w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/good-grad-lunch-selfie-dec-2025-scaled.webp 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /> Congratulations … a job well done! — Andy Hines
From Defuturing to Future-Making: The Power of Immersive Foresight
By Dr. Adam Cowart What is the value of bringing futures to life? There are many answers, but let’s start with how encounters with futures can help us move beyond the faux comfort and certainty of the present. John Watson, an early influence in cognitive psychology, wrote a book in 1896 (that’s right, not a [...]
By Dr. Adam Cowart What is the value of bringing futures to life? There are many answers, but let’s start with how encounters with futures can help us move beyond the faux comfort and certainty of the present. <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-13006 size-large" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-1024x683.webp" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-200x133.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-300x200.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-400x267.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-scaled-500x333.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-600x400.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-scaled-700x467.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-768x512.webp 768w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-800x533.webp 800w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-1024x683.webp 1024w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-1200x800.webp 1200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/vitaly-otinov-sZzLSgJuQ20-unsplash-1536x1024.webp 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> John Watson, an early influence in cognitive psychology, wrote a book in 1896 (that’s right, not a typo) called The Mind of the Master, a religious text. In the book, there is a chapter titled “The Foresight of Faith” in which Watson seeks to unpack the tensions between living in the present versus living with the future in mind. Watson explores, in spiritual terms, to what extent the latent possibilities in our future informs the way we live in the present. “…the foresight which prepares one for the future life is a certain attitude of the soul. No person, it may be assumed, would refuse the reversion of a blessed future, with its high hopes and the freedom of holiness and unfettered service of the Divine Will, but many persons are not minded to subordinate its unseen excellence to the solid possession of the present.” Watson’s point on subordinating the future for the “solid possession of the present” remains a challenge today. We need look no further than the myriad of wicked problems around us. Increasingly, the future is being subordinated to the present, a phenomenon design scholar Tony Fry refers to as “defuturing.” Bringing futures to life tries to shake us out of this subordination, making the design of encounters with futures an act of resistance against the more solid and tangible titillations of the present. Bringing Futures to Life Through Design is a highly interactive, hands-on bootcamp designed to accelerate participants’ ability to engage with and prototype the future, moving well beyond traditional strategic foresight and planning. Running from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, the experience centers on bridging the gap between abstract foresight and tangible, embodied action and how to move from macro-level change to messy moments in everyday life. The initial modules on Friday establish the theoretical foundation, challenging assumptions about change, and moving quickly into designing experiences by engaging radical subjectivity and translating abstract ideas into tangible representations of alternative futures. <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12898" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo.webp" alt="" width="900" height="505" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-200x112.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-300x168.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-400x224.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-500x281.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-600x337.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-700x393.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo.webp 720w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /> The core of the weekend, spanning Saturday, is dedicated to the practical craft of future-making. Participants learn how to craft compelling narratives and then immediately embody those stories using techniques drawn from theatre and performance studies to make the future a visceral modality. This intensive work culminates on Sunday morning, where teams stage their own immersive encounters with the future – the final deliverable of the bootcamp. The weekend concludes with a comprehensive harvesting and debrief module, ensuring the emergent insights generated during the encounters are captured and translated into actionable collective intelligence, framing the entire process as an activist and utilitarian practice for prototyping meaningful change. Possible futures, made real.
Prototyping Tomorrows: Our NEW Immersion Weekend
We're offering a brand spanking new IMMERSION WEEKEND! What if you could step into the future instead of just talking about it? We’re thrilled to announce a brand-new immersive: Bringing Futures to Life through Design: Prototyping Possible Tomorrows, led by Dr. Adam Cowart. From January 16-18, 2026, this weekend experience invites you to turn foresight into form: [...]
We’re offering a brand spanking new IMMERSION WEEKEND! <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-12898" src="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo.webp" alt="Immersion weekend logo photo" width="1000" height="561" srcset="https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-200x112.webp 200w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-300x168.webp 300w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-400x224.webp 400w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-500x281.webp 500w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-600x337.webp 600w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo-700x393.webp 700w, https://www.houstonforesight.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Immersion-weekend-logo.webp 720w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /> What if you could step into the future instead of just talking about it? We’re thrilled to announce a brand-new immersive: Bringing Futures to Life through Design: Prototyping Possible Tomorrows, led by Dr. Adam Cowart. From January 16-18, 2026, this weekend experience invites you to turn foresight into form: experimenting, designing, and performing the futures you want to see. Across three creative, high-energy days, you’ll move through seven experiential modules – Think, Experience, Imagine, Story, Perform, Travel, Learn – each designed to shift how you perceive and shape what’s next. Expect deep questioning, playful experimentation, and embodied discovery. This isn’t theory, it’s futures in motion. You’ll leave with new tools, a refreshed mindset, and a sense of agency that carries beyond the weekend. Program Snapshot Date: January 16-18, 2026 Cost: $1,500 Led by: Dr. Adam Cowart Location: Hotel Vesper, 5160 Hidalgo St, Houston, TX 77056 Discounted room rates available Sign up here: Immersion Weekend This immersive follows the January Professional Certificate in Foresight seminar (January 12-16), the perfect next step for those attending (and there’s still room in the certificate seminar, so please pass this email along or register here if someone you know is ready to shape what’s next). The immersion weekend is open to all current and former students of the UH Foresight graduate program and the Professional Certificate in Foresight seminar. Space is limited, so claim your spot and start shaping the future. Learn more here Questions? alkoury@central.uh.edu