The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has re-appointed management, engineering and development consultancy Mott MacDonald as its Futures and Foresight Support Advisor.
‘Futures thinking’ is an approach that supports decision making at the strategic planning stage of projects.
Appointed under the DfT’s Specialist Technical and commercial Advice for Rail and other transport systems Framework, Mott MacDonald will remain in its advisory role until May 2025.
The company was first appointed to advise on the DfT’s ‘futures thinking’ processes in 2019, helping shape several major DfT reviews and reports spanning multiple transport policy areas covering rail, aviation, maritime and road, and included DfT’s Transport Decarbonisation Plan, Decarbonising UK Transport: Technology Roadmaps.
Now, projects commissioned will make use of Mott MacDonald’s GO-Science Futures Toolkit, which is designed to help organisations make sense of possible future change or uncertainty, including how people will use transport in the years ahead.
In turn, this helps inform the future of transport debate, resulting in strategies and policies that could provide tangible benefits to the UK’s transport system.
Mott MacDonald’s project principle, Annette Smit, said: “Whilst the future continues to remain uncertain, this is a pivotal time to work for positive change in the transport sector.
“New technologies and business models are not only disrupting the way people and freight travel, but also the ways in which our communities and economies interact and perform.
“The future-focused team at Mott MacDonald is constantly seeking new ideas and fresh thinking to adapt to these challenges and deliver positive social outcomes.
“We’re delighted to be partnering again with the DfT to help shape the future of UK’s transport system.”
Achievements and innovations in transport planning will be celebrated at the third annual CiTTi Awards, which will be held on 26 November 2024 at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Nominations officially open in March 2024. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector.
