Foresight in heritage: fostering future consciousness to proactively face change

Purpose This paper introduces Foresight as a structured approach that is increasingly employed across industries and disciplines for anticipating future change and proposes its utility for the heritage sector. We illustrate how integrating greater Foresight into heritage practice can encourage proactive engagement with emerging trends; develop resilient strategies for heritage research, planning and management; and locate where heritage-based actions can bring transformative change for both communities and societies. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents research undertaken as part of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage Research in Europe (ARCHE) to inform a new Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. We analysed foresight and future-oriented publications from a range of disciplines to consolidate insights on current and emerging trends across sectors and global regions and to understand the heritage sector's engagement with Foresight approaches thus far. Findings The analysis identifies several drivers shaping our existing and future landscape and their implications for heritage research and practice. It also highlights opportunities for action where heritage can have a vital role in shaping futures and catalysing societal benefits. To conclude, the paper discusses gaps in the current body of heritage foresight research and identifies avenues to produce a more robust corpus to reflect a greater diversity of perspectives. Originality/value As the present study corroborates, the cultural heritage sector has had little engagement with foresight methods, despite the acute relevance of the future to heritage concepts and praxis.