The discussion of alternative development models is necessary to identify strategic questions and critical branch points where in-depth reflections are needed and options should be taken. Answering this questions and establishing priority actions for sustainability should be the core of any development strategy. Therefore, the first step for the definition of a process of sustainable development is the knowledge of the situation that configures the starting point for that challenge. Therefore, a diagnosis of different areas that characterize the Autonomous Region of Azores in a sustainability perspective was developed, in order to identify problems, constraints, opportunities and chances that will support the development strategies. This process delivers a proposal for a regional system of sustainability indicators, complemented with the evaluation of sustainability indexes (such as the Dashboard of Sustainability, the Human Development Index (HDI) and the Ecological Footprint).

As a sustainable development process also implies a discussion about the future, a building scenarios methodology was undertaken, in order to develop a structured way to explore and think about long-term futures. Those scenarios were designed for the horizon of 2030 and started from the present diagnosis. The current set of driving forces was obtained through a participatory process materialized in an early stage of the process, through six one day workshops conducted in some of the azorean islands (from November to December 2003), involving citizens from different socio-economic sectors (this participatory process was also promoted by a project website, a school contest, the involvement of consultative organizations and subsequently by a formal process of public participation). In this context, five scenarios were established, all with positive and negative sustainability aspects: Hotelandia - based on tourism development; Lactogenia - based on agricultural progress; Ecotopia - based on environmental protection; Sociopolis - based on social cohesion and Infocracia – based on an information society. These scenarios were submitted to an on-line voting process, which results indicate that scenario building is an interesting bridge between citizens and decision makers, helping to identify present critical branch points for a sustainable future. This process led to the establishment of a common vision for the regional development.

After the identification of those critical branch points, an emblematic set of 10+1 priorities for the sustainability vision set the stage for a practical and effective regional sustainable development strategy.

The project afforded an opportunity to the development of sustainability analysis and public participation methodologies adapted to the regional context. On the other hand, it contributed to promote the local discussion among different stakeholders, to draw a draft of a shared vision of development and to set priorities and goals for an action plan. In this context and through an efficient institutional framing, the project outcomes can now be validated and settled as a political compromise, configuring a significant contribution for a Regional Sustainable Development Plan for Azores . The negative points were related with the insufficient time to complete all the agenda and insufficient resources to promote a wider public participation, as well as the unavailability of appropriate statistical data.

Finally, a book was published ("Perspectives for the Sustainability in Autonomous Region of Azores ") as one of the corollaries of the project (more information is available in http://sram.azores.gov.pt/predsa)