Migration

Future Imaginaries of Migration

How will migration evolve in the future? How can we better shape migration as a societal asset?

About the project

People from politics, academia, the arts, and civil society come together in future labs to jointly develop scenarios of how migration might evolve over the coming decades and how it could be better shaped as a societal asset. Using foresight methods, these efforts generate visions that inspire public debate. They are intended to help us view migration not primarily as a problem, but as an opportunity for development that can be negotiated more constructively.
The future scenarios are visualized by artists with the help of artificial intelligence. The workshops will take place at four locations across four continents: Berlin and Accra in 2026, and Singapore and Toronto in 2027.

Migration is increasingly being perceived as a problem. In the process, we are losing sight of the actual figures, data, and facts related to migration. With this project, we aim to bring people together in unusual constellations and enable them to jointly develop future scenarios for migration.

The aim of the project is to use creativity and new encounters to develop future visions that highlight the potential of migration for our societies. These can help point out ways in which we can shape migration more constructively.

As part of the project, four multi-day future labs will be held across four continents: in 2026 in Berlin and Accra, and in 2027 in Singapore and Toronto. Participants from diverse backgrounds, biographies, and connections to migration—from politics, academia, civil society, and the arts—will be invited to take part.

Each future lab will be organized with local partner organizations. The first lab will be conducted by Migration Matters, the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM), and the Futurium. Additional partners include CERC Migration at Toronto Metropolitan University, the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore, the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana, and the Goethe-Institut.