How AI is transforming public participation in urban planning

13/05/2024, h. 17:00 – 18:30
Politecnico di Milano, Campus Leonardo, Edificio 4, Aula 4.01
Piattaforma Webex

Ciclo di seminari: Exploring the Urban Dimension of AI

Incorporating the views of residents and stakeholders in the enhancement of urban public spaces is widely considered essential. However, traditional participation methods have struggled to involve laypeople in providing clear and implementable design inputs. This barrier is being overcome through the use of visual creative AI tools, which enables those without formal design training to visually articulate changes, for example in streetscapes and squares. In particular, the UrbanistAI tool quickly generates diverse visualizations based on user descriptions, facilitating more effective collaborative discussions and more refined design proposals. In this seminar, Dr. Sampo Ruoppila (University of Turku & UrbanistAI) explores how this technology contributes to participatory planning and e-participation practices, addresses a variety of challenges, and evaluates the role of visualizations in urban development according to recent academic insights. Additionally, he examines various case studies using UrbanistAI, highlighting the differential impacts of this pioneering commercial tool in real-world applications across different global contexts.

Relatore

Sampo Ruoppila, University of Turku & UrbanistAI

Dr. Sampo Ruoppila leads the Turku Urban Research Programme, a joint-initiative of the City of Turku, the University of Turku, and the Åbo Akademi University. He is also a partner and part-time urban policy advisor at Spin Unit Lab Ltd, which develops UrbanistAI, a co-design tool aimed at enhancing citizen engagement in urban planning.

Discussant:

Barbara Piga, Aubrey Toldi – Politecnico di Milano

Responsabili

Grazia Concilio, Davide Ponzini, Valeria Fedeli, Zachary Jones, Michelangelo Secchi

Photo credits: Image generated by UrbanistAI