The history, the city and the future.

The past and the present are deeply linked, and historians often arrive from the current problems to the reconstruction of the past. Thinking historically means normally thinking of change processes. What can be applied from past to present, as is done in counterfactual history and postdictive models; and from the present to the future.

The future must be considered in all social sciences. But the task of historians is indispensable and essential for its construction, and more specifically fort he building of the desirable city in the future. This paper argues that historians must dare to discuss the current problems, and even consider the history of the future, more specifically, the history of the city's future. We can do nothing about the past but we can influence the future, simply with individual action, and more intense with collective action.

There are many possible futures, but some are better than others. There will be only one future among the many possible, and historians, like other social scientists should help to build it.