FUTURE INSIGHTS, SCENARIOS AND EXPERT METHOD APPLICATION IN SUSTAINABLE TERRITORIAL PLANNING

Implementation of sustainable development policy is one of the most complicated tasks and challenges faced by the global community The efforts to move the concept of sustainable development from a theoretical level to a decision-making level and to link the economic development to environment are followed by a number of problems. Several theories and individual methods of the development of trends exist and they could be applied in the forecast of potential future. The setting of concerned social problems, related to scientific knowledge, its receipt and representation, consists of 4 different but inter-related elements: real world, data, theory, model. Analysis of the sustainable development must be based on a systematic approach. The paper describes the methodology for the creation of future insights, the principles of application of the expert method, the types of future scenarios, and their application in drafting the general plan of the territory of Moletai district. It provides a comparison of the offered scenarios for the future of Moletai. Conclusions and recommendations finalize the article.