Tim Stock

Tim Stock is the Co-founder of scenarioDNA, a consultancy that leverages the union of consumer anthropology and data science to advise global clients on cultural trends with a systems-thinking approach to innovation. He is the co-inventor of a patented methodology of Culture Mapping that analyses patterns in culture using computational linguistics and machine learning to visualise trend narratives and forecasts. Clients include Campbell’s, IKEA, Nike, Hilton Worldwide and Honda. Tim is a frequent speaker on culture and innovation and has appeared in various publications such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, Advertising Age and Quartz.

Rethinking Utopia, A Systems Thinking Approach to the Future of Cities
The composer Claude Debussy once said, “Music is the space between the notes”. Cities too should be hearing that wisdom. Most modern cities that have emerged from the 20^th century focus too much on the notes and not enough on the space between. The vision of a city’s future says a lot about how well the relationship between people, technology and liveability is understood. The design of cities has been far too technology-centric. A 1958 utopia imagined cities with the car as the central driving force. Today we obsess over driverless cars. The present model of design is stuck in a service of invention over innovation.

Utopia needs to be rethought as a system. It is important that Utopia is not landed upon. It evolves, like a good marriage. But we build to what we think is state-of-art. Systems thinking allows us to embrace the potential ambiguity and adaptability of cities. By the time a state-of-art design is inhabited, we are onto the next latest state-of-art. We have all notes and no space between the notes, a series of dated states-of-art with no room for breathing. To breathe is to live.