This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Petra Hurtado, Ph.D. who's the Chief Foresight & Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association, leading their foresight program and knowledge portfolio; including research, publications, educational content, and career services.

With a Ph.D. in urban planning from the Vienna University of Technology, her areas of expertise and research include strategic foresight, futures literacy, urban futures and emerging technologies, urban sustainability, and environmental psychology.

In this episode, we focus mainly on an imminent release from the APA: their 2026 Trend Report for Planners. Titled 'Embracing Uncertainty' it identifies over 100 key trends across three actionable timeframes: 'Act Now, Prepare, and Learn & Watch'.

Petra delivers a sneak preview of the report in our discussion, which unpacks the most significant trends and patterns, empowering the navigation of challenges, and showing how to lead the way in shaping a better future for the planning profession, with the overall aim of helping create thriving, resilient communities.

This episode of #TheNewAbnormal podcast features Klaus Dodds, a leading geopolitical analyst specialising in polar affairs, territorial sovereignty, border disputes and great power competition, with over 30 years of experience bridging academic research and strategic policy advice.

Klaus analyses how geography shapes power: from Arctic governance and territorial disputes to the geopolitics of climate change and resource competition. His work examines how traditional diplomatic frameworks adapt to emerging challenges, particularly in polar regions where great power rivalries increasingly intersect with Indigenous rights, commercial and trade-based competition and environmental transformation.

His latest sole authored book "Border Wars: The Conflicts That Will Define Our Future" has been translated into multiple languages, whilst he co-authored “Unfrozen: The Fight for the Future of the Arctic" which examines how Arctic transformation reshapes global geopolitics.

So, in our conversation I asked him to reference the skills that he used to translate complex geopolitical analysis for diverse audiences (from parliamentary committees to commercial organisations to public forums) where his approach combines deep historical knowledge with forward-looking strategic analysis, examining territorial ambitions, resource competition, and how environmental changes intersect in our dynamic world...

This episode of The New Abnormal podcast features Marie Roussie, a futurist from the Paris-based collective Making Tomorrow.

Marie has spent the past three years examining approaches to the future development of the French armed forces. In this interview we discuss her work and in particular, the dynamic 'Futures of Conflicts' report published by the NATO Defence College, which she co-authored. (It's a quantitative and qualitative study of close to 100 foresight reports recently produced by NATO, its members and partners).

As it says 'the return of conflict to the European continent and the ongoing intensification of flashpoints around the world cast a pall over visions of the future...'

So, we discuss the report, and her ongoing work in which she aims to shed light on the human element, which in her view provides realistic insights into the wars of tomorrow and an understanding of the military profession.