Failed futures? Unmaterialised visions and their ambivalence in regional development

The role of ideational processes in regional development has drawn growing attention recently, including the construction of imagined futures which provide guidance and directionality to regional policies. However, the debate often suffers from success-story bias in favour of those visions that eventually materialised, although there is much to learn from failed futures in regional policymaking. However, the success or failure of regional futures is not straightforward but often ambivalent, not least because regional futures can combine diverse policy considerations. This article proposes a nuanced view on regional futures, drawing on the case of Be’er Sheva, Israel’s proclaimed ‘cybersecurity capital’.