Radical Future(s) Panel: Spaces, Systems, and Shared Futures

From place to policy, how do the spaces we create — and the often invisible systems that govern them — shape who we are and what might be possible?

This panel brings together voices from policy, design anthropology, and community organizing to explore how place, identity, and collective futures intersect. From public spaces to cultural memory, panelists will share stories and strategies for designing environments that foster belonging, challenge erasure, and reimagine more just, shared futures.

At this special event, you’ll hear:

• Perspectives from across design, policy, and community organizing
• Conversation on how systems and spaces shape identity and possibility, and
• Practical strategies for fostering inclusion and reimagining equitable futures

Whether you’re a designer, strategist, policymaker, or simply curious about the intersections of place and justice, this is a chance to engage in dialogue and imagine new ways forward.

Tuesday, Oct 7, 2025 • 6 PM – 8:30 PM

at Kiln (1120 SE Madison St, Portland, OR 97214)

Agency for Speculative Futures

A civic imagination lab treating the future as a public work, blending design, storytelling, and systems change. We create experiences and invest in spaces where communities can rehearse and reimagine just, joyful futures

Impact x Design

A community of designers, strategists, and change-makers who believe design has the power to shape more equitable futures. We curate conversations, facilitate workshops, and resource projects exploring impact at the intersection of creativity and systems change.

Radical Future(s) Fest (Mon, Oct 6 - Wed, Oct 8)

• Future(s) Assembly (Mon, Oct 6) → A participatory futures fair with lightning talks + interactive booths
• Civic Futures Remix - Prototyping the Public Pantry (Wed, Oct 8) → A hands-on civic design jam on municipal grocery stores and community-owned futures

Narrative Futures Forge (Oct 18–20)

A creative mini-series where stories become blueprints for futures — with staged readings, workshops, and a panel exploring how storytelling, performance, and design can reimagine cultural futures

Explore these and more at the

Get ready to be inspired, share your ideas, and connect with others who are shaping what comes next

Also check out other Arts events in Portland, Workshops in Portland, Contests in Portland.