Vulnerability 2030

What is the future of social and economic vulnerability in the United States? The last century has seen wide swings in social and economic vulnerability, albeit with a general and persistent rise in conditions that support social and economic security. By 2030, how high will structural unemployment be? Will urban agriculture and home food production (e.g., aeroponics) be significant? Will advances in energy technology, particularly solar, hydrogen, battery storage, and other advances, make a difference for low-income households? How will conflicts in society, crime, and urban blight evolve?

The Vulnerability 2030 Scenarios trace four pathways—an expectable, a challenging, and two visionary or surprisingly successful images. IAF has also updated the emerging forces that might shape personal and community self-reliance. This session will present the scenarios and recent developments leading to the various scenarios.

The scenarios were developed for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Vulnerable Populations Portfolio and have been widely used in the nonprofit and philanthropic communities for their strategic planning.