Stewart Brand famously provided a framework for considering change within buildings through his idea of “shearing layers,” itself based on earlier ideas from Francis Duffy and Alex Henney. In each case, a loose hierarchy starting with the relative permanency of the site, the building structure/shell, and to a lesser extent the skin, to the more temporary building services, space plan, and ultimately the scenery/stuff that fills the buildings. This article transposes this method of analysis from buildings and structures to public urban space. It achieves this by adding a time dimension in the form of a “rate of change” or renewal to the different layers of site, surface, services, space (spatial configuration), surroundings/skin, signage, and stuff within the public space. While it was initially intended as a thought experiment relating to society, the idea of long-term thinking is a beneficial tool for urban designers and planners. Demonstrated using a city centre public space case study, we present the object-orientated approach to recording and mapping the “rates of change” ranging from constant, hourly, daily, monthly, and yearly through to renewal over decades and centuries. The output is presented dynamically, as a chronological map progression supported by mixed archival secondary sources and primary data gathered using remote sensing and other photographic evidence. A move from end-state planning within the public realm, to thinking about the variable nature of change will support a more flexible and resilient public realm. As we increasingly need to be responsive to challenges, and opportunities, having a better understanding of the time cycle and adaptability of the different layers of our public realm will only benefit the city.
Keywords: chronological mapping; experimental urbanism; public realm; shearing layers; temporary urbanism; urban design Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9332 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Placemaking Through Time in Nepal: Conceptualising the Historic Urban-Rural Landscape of Kathmandu File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8947 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8947 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8947 Author-Name: Xiang Ren Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture and Landscape, University of Sheffield, UK Author-Name: Sangeeta Singh Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal Author-Name: Abhishek Bhutoria Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture and Landscape, University of Sheffield, UK Author-Name: Huriye Armağan Doğan Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture and Landscape, University of Sheffield, UK Abstract: The ever-densifying and developing cities from the rapidly urbanising Global South are still facing severe socio-cultural challenges driven by the rapid urbanisation and tourism development, including the loss of architectural heritage, cultural memory, place identity, informal ecology, and economy in and around the historic urban landscape (HUL) particularly. Following the call for a “peri-urban turn” in recent geographical and urban studies, this article conceptually extends the established HUL framework to a broader historic urban–rural landscape (HURL) framework for the evolving and underrepresented territories of the Southern cities. It includes and interprets the local community’s placemaking practices and agency in the context of transitional rural-to-urban dynamics. Through ethnographic fieldwork in the historic environment of Kathmandu, Nepal, and by exploring the Basantapur area’s living heritage setting for the local community’s transient, rural, and ritual practices, this article develops an urban-anthropological interpretation of tangible and, of increasing relevance in the Global South contexts, intangible cultural heritage from the local community’s perspective, narratives, and agency. The article argues for a shift in focus from approaching the urban heritage buildings, urban–rural landscape, and intangible cultural heritage separately from the HUL which traces the past, to a more transitional, evolving, and layered HURL which anchors the present. It concludes with HURL’s methodological capacity to further close reading of Southern places through time and the lifeworld constituted and embedded in the placemaking practice beyond the Eurocentric tradition and paradigms. Keywords: Basantapur; cultural heritage; Global South; Historic Urban Landscape; Kathmandu; placemaking Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8947 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Temporal Dynamics of Power Distribution in Mobile Urban Co-Policies: A Southern Analytical Framework File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9070 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9070 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9070 Author-Name: Laura Sobral Author-Workplace-Name: DINÂMIA’CET, ISCTE–University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal / Interdisciplinary Centre for Urban Culture and Public Space, TU Wien, Austria Author-Name: Predrag Milić Author-Workplace-Name: Interdisciplinary Centre for Urban Culture and Public Space, TU Wien, Austria Author-Name: Burcu Ateş Author-Workplace-Name: Interdisciplinary Centre for Urban Culture and Public Space, TU Wien, Austria Abstract: This study proposes an analytical framework for scrutinising the temporal dynamics of power distribution within the mobility of urban co-policies, particularly those that aim to enhance socio-spatial justice. The role of time in shaping power dynamics in the new contexts covered by urban co-policies is central to this analysis. The framework is constructed through a comprehensive literature review and empirical fieldwork on the Lisbon mobile co-policy, called Bairros de Intervenção Prioritária/Zonas de Intervenção Prioritárias, which is supplemented by analysis of participatory and contextual policies across cities within the Com.Unity.Lab Transfer Network. Drawing on theories of policy mobility in the context of Southern epistemologies, the framework underscores the significance of temporal dynamics in the formation of policy outcomes, which highlights the necessity of the continuous assessment of policy intermediary results over time. The proposed framework identifies a gap in the analysis of the mobility of co-policies that integrate spatial co-production and co-governance at the neighbourhood scale. Methodologically based on the Southern ethics of inquiry in which time serves as a critical lens through which travelling co-policies are understood, the study offers insights into the need for continuous adaptation with the overarching goal of assessing the extent to which urban co-policies can foster social justice towards fairer cities. Keywords: analytical framework; BIP/ZIP; co-policies; policy mobility; power distribution; socio-spatial justice; time Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9070 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Connecting to the Sea: A Place-Based Study of the Potential of Digital Engagement to Foster Marine Citizenship File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8992 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8992 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8992 Author-Name: Katharine Willis Author-Workplace-Name: School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Plymouth, UK Author-Name: Ashita Gupta Author-Workplace-Name: School of Art, Design and Architecture, University of Plymouth, UK Abstract: The Sustainable Development Goals for creating sustainable, resilient cities and addressing human impacts upon coastal waters and marine environments create a mandate for coastal cities to empower local communities to value city seascapes. One key way to achieve this is through more inclusive pathways to connect to the sea using participatory methods. This research used a participatory co-design approach in Plymouth—the UK’s first national marine park—to explore the potential for place-based digital engagement to connect people with the sea, especially for deprived neighbourhoods. We sought to answer the research question of whether place-based digital technologies can engage communities with marine spaces and make coastal areas more accessible. Using the collaborative community-led concept of a city marine park, we explored the requirements for digital technologies needed to create marine citizenship and address the challenge of building coastal resilience. We describe a participatory action research study that took place in an urban coastal community, run in collaboration with a local organisation, the Rockpool Project, over a period of six months. Through a baseline survey, we identified some of the barriers to accessing the sea and ways in which the sea was perceived as a space in the city. We also ran a series of co-design workshops using creative prototyping with local families to help define the requirements for a digital toolkit that could enable them to access the sea. The results found that by enabling access to temporal and biodiverse marine spaces such as rocky shores, place-based digital technologies can create new ways for communities to access and engage with the sea. Place-based digital technologies have the potential to create marine citizenship by building a connection between people and marine environments to care for the sea as a shared resource. We propose this can help establish a sense of place and contribute to marine stewardship in coastal communities. Keywords: co-design; coastal; communities; digital technology; engagement; marine citizenship; participation Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8992 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Participatory Interventions: Digital Crowd Mapping Perceptions of Safety in Public Space File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9043 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9043 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9043 Author-Name: Gill Matthewson Author-Workplace-Name: Design Department, Monash University, Australia Author-Name: Nicole Kalms Author-Workplace-Name: Design Department, Monash University, Australia Author-Name: Jess Berry Author-Workplace-Name: Design Department, Monash University, Australia Abstract: Current estimates indicate the world will not achieve the United Nations SDG #5 of gender equality by 2030, with a more accurate prediction post-2300. Escalating global crises have brought existing gender disparities into sharper focus, exacerbating issues of unequal access and opportunity. These conditions make the prioritisation of gender equality imperative to the sustainable development of cities, regions, and rural communities. This article presents a case study of the YourGround project, which utilises an interactive, geolocative digital crowd-mapping platform as a participatory method to gather insights into perceptions of safety among women and gender-diverse people in public spaces in Australia’s two most populous states, Victoria and New South Wales. The data and insights from YourGround provide city planners, urban designers, and community members, with a gender-sensitive lens developed by the expertise of people from the community. This method of data collection and feminist co-design democratises the research process, amplifies marginalised voices, and avoids the hazards of technocentrism and top-down approaches. The findings underscore the nuanced and context-specific nature of gender inequality in public spaces, highlighting the pervasive impact of social and environmental factors on safety perceptions and access in both urban contexts and rural areas. Keywords: digital crowd mapping; gender equity; public participation; public space; sustainability Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9043 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: The Role of Participatory Planning and Design in Addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/10048 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.10048 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 10048 Author-Name: Hilary Davis Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Social Impact (CSI), Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Author-Name: Joel Fredericks Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Australia Author-Name: Marcus Foth Author-Workplace-Name: School of Design, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Author-Name: Glenda Amayo Caldwell Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology, Australia Author-Name: Callum Parker Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Australia Abstract: This editorial explores the role of participatory planning and design in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) within urban, regional, and rural contexts, which is the focus of this thematic issue. Its contributions highlight how participatory approaches can foster inclusive, equitable, and sustainable urban development, moving beyond tokenistic engagement towards genuine community involvement. By examining a range of methods and case studies spanning 13 countries, the issue demonstrates the versatility of participatory planning in tackling key SDGs, particularly those related to sustainable cities (SDG 11), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), climate action (SDG 13), and partnerships for sustainability (SDG 17). We reflect on the successes and challenges of embedding participatory practices within governance structures, drawing on insights from prior academic fora and workshops we convened. Additionally, we acknowledge critiques of the SDGs for their limitations in addressing systemic economic and governance challenges, arguing for a more radical shift in urban planning paradigms. By situating participatory design within contemporary debates on sustainability, governance, and more-than-human approaches, this thematic issue advances the discourse on urban transformation and the future of SDG-driven planning practices. Keywords: community engagement; participatory design; participatory planning; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); urban, regional, and rural resilience Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:10048 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Co-Creating Change: Seedbed Interventions as Catalysts for Equitable Urban Planning—The Case of Umeå File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9118 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9118 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9118 Author-Name: Julia Gäckle Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Author-Name: Mariia Chebotareva Author-Workplace-Name: School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Estonia / School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu, Estonia Author-Name: Bianka Plüschke-Altof Author-Workplace-Name: School of Natural Sciences and Health, Tallinn University, Estonia / School of Economics and Business Administration, University of Tartu, Estonia / Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Estonia Author-Name: Jannis Meul Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Author-Name: Ilkka Väänänen Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Health Care, LAB University of Applied Sciences, Finland Author-Name: Shreya Utkarsh Author-Workplace-Name: ICLEI European Secretariat, Germany Author-Name: Axel Timpe Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Author-Name: Frank Lohrberg Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Architecture, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Author-Name: Taru Suutari Author-Workplace-Name: Municipality of Lahti, Finland Author-Name: Eva Maaherra Lovheim Author-Workplace-Name: Municipality of Umeå, Sweden Author-Name: Tadhg MacIntyre Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Ireland Abstract: The ongoing urbanisation and densification at the intersection with increasing environmental and health crises demand a holistic, equitable, and inclusive approach to urban planning, which has also been highlighted in the EU Green Deal’s inclusive approach to sustainable urban planning aligned with the UN SDGs’ “Leave No One Behind.” This article introduces the seedbed intervention as a novel, community-driven, co-creative approach to Nature-based Solutions (NbS) that addresses gaps in equitable and inclusive urban planning frameworks. On the case of Umeå (Sweden), the article introduces the seedbed intervention approach and demonstrates how the approach facilitates the development of locally appropriate and sustainable NbS. The results show that the seedbed intervention approach improved the alignment between local needs and NbS design, connected diverse user groups, and catalysed curiosity, interest, and participation among citizens with the help of applying art-based methods. By demonstrating the practical application of a seedbed intervention, this research contributes to the development of scalable frameworks for more equitable and inclusive urban planning. Keywords: art-based methods; co-creation; equitable cities; inclusivity; Nature-based Solutions; SDG 11; seedbed intervention; sustainable planning; urban green spaces Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9118 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Reshaping Social Spaces After Socialism Through Citizen Participation: The Case of Novo Sarajevo’s Post-Conflict Neighborhoods File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9176 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9176 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9176 Author-Name: Isra Tatlić Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Author-Name: Nermina Zagora Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Architecture, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Abstract: Architecture embodies the social context from which it emerges. In the countries of the former Yugoslavia, architects and planners have played a pivotal role in translating the ideals and values of political systems into physical space. The socialist programs of “brotherhood and unity” and “worker self-management” were articulated in various public architectural typologies, open and accessible to all, and shaped a new social framework. Less emphasized but equally present is the historical continuity of self-organizing architecture, representing the shared goal of population survival and adaptability to forthcoming changes. In the aftermath of the 1990s war, Bosnia and Herzegovina is undergoing a multifaceted transition: from socialism to capitalism, from conflict to peace, from post-war recovery toward sustainable development and democratic governance. More than 30 years later, this radical paradigm shift has significantly impacted the urban landscape of Sarajevo, affecting both new developments and the approach to the urban legacy of previous epochs. By correlating the socio-spatial factors of transition, this article explores the post-socialist residential neighborhoods of Novo Sarajevo that were once divided by the frontline during the siege of Sarajevo, particularly their current status and the potential for the transformation of the remaining indoor and outdoor social spaces. The model employed for redefining social spaces in vulnerable areas emphasizes user participation, and was tested through an academic research project to address collective issues. This research has shown the role of the participatory approach as an instrument for the reinvention of existing, even contested, social assets to create an inclusive, sustainable urban environment in post-conflict conditions. The approach may be able to heal the remnants of the collapsed system, its neglected legacy, and the damaged urban and social structures. Keywords: citizen participation; post-socialist society; social spaces; sustainable development; urban transformation Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9176 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Co-Designing Urban Interventions Through the Lens of SDGs: Insights From the IN-HABIT Project in Nitra, Slovakia File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9133 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9133 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9133 Author-Name: Katarína Melichová Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Regional and Rural Development, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia Author-Name: Michal Hrivnák Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Regional and Rural Development, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia Abstract: Collaborative efforts and vertical and horizontal cooperation of stakeholders representing diverse interests are crucial for the effective achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In urban planning practice, however, coordination of more technocratic and bureaucratic top-down processes and community-driven bottom-up efforts encounters many, sometimes seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Horizon 2020 IN-HABIT project, implemented in four European cities, brings together universities, the local public sector, and non-governmental partners to co-design, co-deploy, and co-manage integrated solutions, combining technological, nature-based, cultural, and social innovations to promote inclusive health and wellbeing. This article focuses on the participatory co-design process of innovative interventions in the Nitra pilot, utilizing mixed methods—questionnaire surveys and stakeholder interviews—to evaluate the contribution to select SDGs perceived by three groups of stakeholders: process facilitators, experts, and policymakers; urban planners; and target groups. The findings suggest that the co-design process generally contributed to community engagement, strengthened partnerships, and enhanced the inclusiveness of public spaces. However, differences emerged in how stakeholders perceived these contributions, with target group representatives being more optimistic than the remaining participants. The article concludes with implications for urban planners and policymakers in making participatory processes more inclusive and effective for achieving sustainable urban development goals, e.g., incorporating capacity-building and educational aspects into the process or introducing innovative co-design methods like participatory site-specific art residencies or other methods involving direct implementation of co-designed solutions. Keywords: co-design; inclusive public spaces; public–private–people partnership; sustainable development goals Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9133 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Participatory Retrofitting Through Extended Planners in Tanzanian Urban Areas File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9015 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9015 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9015 Author-Name: Manyama Majogoro Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Hasselt University, Belgium Author-Name: Oswald Devisch Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Hasselt University, Belgium Author-Name: Fredrick Bwire Magina Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Ardhi University, Tanzania Abstract: The global endeavour to develop inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and human settlements is paramount. Land use conflicts in urban areas persist as a critical issue among stakeholders in contemporary urban development discourse. This article examines the effectiveness of local mediation strategies in resolving land use conflicts within East African cities’ rapidly expanding metropolitan areas. It focuses explicitly on community-based leaders, referred to as “extended planners,” who foster sustainable communities through their involvement in conflict mediation. Unlike municipal authorities, whose responses can be slow, these grassroots leaders promptly engage in mediation efforts, demonstrating their critical role in urban land management. Through an ethnographic approach to data collection and analysis using the cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT), this study highlights the significant influence that extended planners have on conflict resolution and the improvement of community welfare. The findings indicate that residents generally report land use conflicts to the Mtaa Government Office, where mediation sessions are conducted. The grassroots leaders, acting as the primary mediators, facilitate these sessions with the conflicting parties and relevant stakeholders, utilising traditional methods and established mediation protocols. The study underscores the diverse roles of different actors in the mediation process, with grassroots (Mtaa) leaders mainly overseeing it. It concludes with a call for empowering these leaders with essential knowledge in urban planning and conflict resolution skills to increase the mediation sessions’ effectiveness. Keywords: conflict mediation; extended planners; grassroots leaders; land management; land use conflicts Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9015 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Community Mobilisation Through Translation: A Sustainable Framework for Participatory Planning File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9119 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9119 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9119 Author-Name: Xiaohong Tan Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Guangdong University of Technology, China / Department of Urban Regeneration and Planning Theory, University of Kassel, Germany Author-Name: Yongjian Xu Author-Workplace-Name: Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, China Author-Name: Guangye Rui Author-Workplace-Name: School of Art and Design, Guangdong University of Technology, China Abstract: Participatory planning in neighbourhood regeneration faces challenges, including engagement difficulties, consensus-building, implementation complexities, and expectation management. This article investigates participatory planning processes aimed at addressing the aforementioned challenges in Bijiang Village, China. Using the framework of translation, it explores how this approach facilitates community mobilisation and engagement to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically focusing on fostering sustainable communities. Translation theory comprises four moments: problematisation, interessement, enrolment, and mobilisation. The empirical studies demonstrate that these moments are dynamic and iterative. Initial problem framing, focused on historical landscapes, was unclear at first but became more defined through interest assignment, recruitment, and mobilisation. The interessement phase identifies stakeholders with shared concerns and values, empowering them early in the decision-making process. Enrolment effectively expanded participation by mobilising key stakeholders, such as clan elders and parents, through context-specific social networks and social ecology. This approach ensures that planning outcomes reflect community values and priorities. Mobilisation in Bijiang expanded participation, turned consensus into action, and fostered collective ownership and unity. Workshops, exhibitions, and focus groups translated public issues into defined community planning problems, facilitating the co-construction of solutions. These participatory methods made complex planning terms accessible, fostering deeper community involvement. The cyclical nature of problem framing and consensus-building in Bijiang Village underscores the importance of local socio-cultural context in rural regeneration. Translation theory offers a robust framework for managing complexities in participatory community planning. It demonstrates how continuous negotiation and realignment of interests through translation address immediate concerns and foster long-term engagement, contributing to sustainable development. Keywords: community mobilisation; cultural heritage; participatory planning; problem framing; sustainable regeneration; translation Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9119 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Informing Heritage Conservation Through Diverse Experiences: The Case of the Leuven Town Hall File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9168 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9168 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9168 Author-Name: Negin Eisazadeh Author-Workplace-Name: Art, Archaeology and Heritage Research Unit, ULiège, Belgium / Research[x]Design, KU Leuven, Belgium Author-Name: Peter-Willem Vermeersch Author-Workplace-Name: Research[x]Design, KU Leuven, Belgium / archipelago architects, Belgium Author-Name: Ann Heylighen Author-Workplace-Name: Research[x]Design, KU Leuven, Belgium Author-Name: Claudine Houbart Author-Workplace-Name: Art, Archaeology and Heritage Research Unit, ULiège, Belgium Abstract: Awareness is growing of the need for more inclusive and sustainable cities and communities, as evident in the objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The targets underline the importance of participatory approaches, protecting cultural and natural heritage, and providing universal access to inclusive public spaces. To achieve these targets in the context of built heritage, our research explores a pathway that aligns with conservation practice’s gradual shift to collaborative approaches involving diverse others. Seeking a more inclusive approach in built heritage conservation, we engage people with diverse bodies and minds as users/experts, attending to their situated and embodied experiences. Their unique expertise-by-experience informs architecture and conservation practice by providing nuanced insights into qualities and obstacles of built heritage. However, suitable methods and tools are necessary to capture and transfer these insights to practice effectively. In this article, we present the approach we experimented with in the case of the historic Leuven Town Hall (Belgium), which is undergoing a restoration project. We outline our process and methods for transforming disability experience into actionable knowledge that facilitates exchange between users/experts, architects, and city representatives. We detail how the resulting tools illustrate and situate the identified qualities and obstacles in the user/experts’ interaction with this heritage site, building on the concepts of affordance and gradient of accessibility. Leveraging user/expertise for built heritage, our approach promotes a conservation process inclusive of diverse voices and experiences and fosters collaboration between academia and practice, while contributing to creating inclusive and socially sustainable historic environments. Keywords: affordance; built heritage; disability; inclusive design; participation; user/expert(ise) Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9168 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: The People and the Fire Tree: Co-Designing a Bushfire Early Warning System to Meet the Sustainable Development Goals File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9125 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9125 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9125 Author-Name: Axel Munoz Rivas Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Author-Name: Hilary Davis Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Author-Name: Sonja Pedell Author-Workplace-Name: Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia Abstract: Australian rural communities face significant climate challenges including catastrophic bushfires. In line with the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs), to build resilience in the face of bushfire threats, communities need to increase adaptive capacity while maintaining the community’s integrity. To build community resilience, they should harness the hybridity between digital technology and non-technological practices. Building community resilience is gaining attention in rural human–computer interaction to ensure those who are vulnerable to disasters strengthen their ability to address adversity even in the absence of formal government assistance. How they apply digital technology into practice to ensure it meets their needs is crucial. We outline a case study of a rural Australian bushfire-impacted community. A series of co-design workshops was conducted to understand local bushfire preparation activities and the role of digital technologies in these activities. Three creative participatory design activities supported the co-design of an early-warning bushfire system. The workshop participants co-designed and merged two solutions: first The Fire Tree, a conceptual map of a preventative information system fed and validated by the community itself; second, The People System identifies and harnesses government resources to feed and generate a rich, dynamic, and constantly updated information environment. The final solution based on the two concepts is Bushwire, a communication facilitator designed and used by participants in workshops four and five. Bushwire is a co-designed web-based collective platform that leverages citizen-science behaviours, enabling them to share local knowledge and prepare for bushfire threats. The system became a communication facilitator, a space to share detailed local information and connect; fed by locally produced elements including digital technologies, weather/road conditions, and on-the-ground instructions. This case study explores how Bushwire responds to a range of UN SDGs by seeking to build sustainable communities (SDG11), to address climate action (SDG13) for this rural Australian bush-fire-prone community, and harmonises life on land (SDG15) through multi-stakeholder partnerships (SDG17). We envisage that urban planners may derive value from listening and responding to messages from nature, and from citizen-scientists embedded in rural communities as depicted in this case study. Keywords: bushfires; climate action; co-design; human–computer interaction; life on land; resilience; sustainable cities; sustainable communities; sustainable development goals Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9125 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: AI-Supported Participatory Workshops: Middle-Out Engagement for Crisis Events File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9165 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9165 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9165 Author-Name: Martin Tomitsch Author-Workplace-Name: Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney, Australia Author-Name: Joel Fredericks Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Australia Author-Name: Marius Hoggenmüller Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Australia Author-Name: Alexandra Crosby Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, University of Technology Sydney, Australia Author-Name: Adrian Wong Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Australia Author-Name: Xinyan Yu Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Design and Planning, The University of Sydney, Australia Author-Name: Weidong Huang Author-Workplace-Name: Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney, Australia Abstract: Considering the lived experience of communities is key when making decisions in complex scenarios, such as preparing for and responding to crisis events. The article reports on three participatory workshops, which assigned community representative roles to workshop participants. Using role-playing as a method, participants were given the task of collaborating on making a decision relating to a speculative crisis scenario. Across the workshops, we collected data about simulating a middle-out engagement approach and the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing collaboration, supporting decision-making, and representing non-human actors. The article makes three contributions to participatory planning and design in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. First, it presents insights about the use of AI in enhancing collaboration and decision-making in crisis event situations. Second, it discusses approaches for bringing more-than-human considerations into participatory planning and design. Third, it reflects on the value of role-playing as a way to simulate a middle-out engagement process, whereby actors from the top and the bottom collaborate towards making informed decisions in complex scenarios. Drawing on the findings from the workshops, the article critically reflects on challenges and risks associated with using AI in participatory workshops and collaborative decision-making. Keywords: artificial intelligence; community engagement; conversational agents; middle-out engagement; non-human personas; participatory design; participatory planning Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9165 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Urban Beekeepers and Local Councils in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Honeybees Are Valuable Allies in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9166 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9166 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9166 Author-Name: Dara Dimitrov Author-Workplace-Name: Te Piringa – Faculty of Law, The University of Waikato, New Zealand Abstract: Beekeeping is a popular hobby, and urban beekeepers make up the largest number of beekeepers in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The ease of purchasing beehives, together with New Zealanders’ positive attitude toward honeybees, has meant that hobbyist beekeeper numbers have steadily increased since 2012. The impact of the increasing numbers of urban beehives has meant Aotearoa, New Zealand’s local councils have been forced to deal with honeybees and, ultimately, with urban beekeepers. This has, in some instances, led to nonsensical bylaws that the urban beekeepers have largely ignored. However, this article will demonstrate that local councils and, by inference, urban planners should take an alternative approach to urban beekeeping only because urban beekeeping leads to better sustainability outcomes. This article will show how urban beehives and beekeeping link well to the Sustainable Development Goals and provide local councils and urban planners with justifications to engage with urban beekeepers. Finally, this article states that local councils should stop treating honeybees as farm livestock and instead treat them as valuable pollinators and the indicator species that they are. Keywords: beekeeping and SDGs; councils and honeybees; honeybees and SDGs; urban beekeeping; urban planners and honeybees Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9166 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: From Vision to Reality: The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Different Urban Planning Phases File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8576 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8576 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8576 Author-Name: Frank Othengrafen Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund, Germany Author-Name: Lars Sievers Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund, Germany Author-Name: Eva Reinecke Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Spatial Planning, TU Dortmund, Germany Abstract: In an urban context, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can help to categorise and analyse large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. The AI approach can make municipal administration and planning processes more efficient, improve environmental and living conditions (e.g., air quality, inventory of road damages, etc.), or strengthen the participation of residents in decision-making processes. The key to this is “machine learning” that has the ability to recognise patterns, capture models, and learn on the basis of big data via the application of automated statistical methods. However, what does this mean for urban planning and the future development of cities? Will AI take over the planning and design of our cities and actively intervene in and influence planning activities? This article applies a systematic literature review supplemented by case study analyses and expert interviews to categorise various types of AI and relate their potential applications to the different phases of the planning process. The findings emphasize that AI systems are highly specialised applications for solving and processing specific challenges and tasks within a planning process. This can improve planning processes and results, but ultimately AI only suggests alternatives and possible solutions. Thus, AI has to be regarded as a planning tool rather than the planning solution. Ultimately, it is the planners who have to make decisions about the future development of cities, taking into account the possibilities and limitations of the AI applications that have been used in the planning process. Keywords: artificial intelligence; decision-making; digital participation; planning phases; smart city; urban planning Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8576 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Speculative Criminality at Home: Bypassing Tenant Rights Through Police Surveillance in Detroit’s Rental Housing File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8575 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8575 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8575 Author-Name: Rae Baker Author-Workplace-Name: Education and Community Action Research, University of Cincinnati, USA Abstract: In 2016, Detroit, Michigan’s police department piloted a city-wide public-private-community video surveillance program called Project Green Light (PGL). Businesses that host the service, typically gas stations and convenience stores, receive priority response times for emergency dispatch calls, artificially decreasing 911 response times in a city with historically low emergency response capacity. This has led to many senior care homes with medically vulnerable residents to subscribe to PGL, as well as landlords of residential apartment buildings. While the program has been identified as a marker of gentrification by housing and anti-surveillance activists and residents, it has also raised concern about perpetuating the criminalization of Black Detroiters, specifically those living in rental housing that hosts the technology. In a city that is rapidly evolving through private, institutional, and public partnership developments while elected officials espouse to maintain racial and economic equity as core values of Detroit’s upcoming master planning process, the lack of foresight of the impact of surveillance tech is striking. The article’s focus is on surveillance technology as a defining element of contemporary urban development which enacts both a forbearance and expansion of rights through the application of technology to property relations. Relying on the automation of policing and racially biased artificial intelligence perpetuates criminality based on race, class, and perceived gender while additionally tying those experiences to the bundle of rights associated with the ownership of property. Keywords: criminalization; forbearance of rights; policing; surveillance; tenant–landlord relations Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8575 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: The Potential of AI in Information Provision in Energy-Efficient Renovations: A Narrative Review of Literature File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8660 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8660 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8660 Author-Name: C. Koray Bingöl Author-Workplace-Name: Management in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Author-Name: Tong Wang Author-Workplace-Name: Management in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Author-Name: Aksel Ersoy Author-Workplace-Name: Management in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Author-Name: Ellen van Bueren Author-Workplace-Name: Management in the Built Environment, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Abstract: Energy-efficient renovation (EER) is a complex process essential for reducing emissions in the built environment. This research identifies homeowners as the main decision-makers, whereas intermediaries and social interactions between peers are highly influential in home renovations. It investigates information and communication barriers encountered during the initial phases of EERs. The study reviews AI tools developed within the EERs domain to assess their capabilities in overcoming these barriers and identifies areas needing improvement. This research examines stakeholders, barriers, and the AI tools in the literature for EERs. The discussion compares the functionalities of these tools against stakeholder needs and the challenges they face. Findings show that tools often overlook methodologies in human–computer interaction and the potential of textual and visual AI methods. Digital tool development also lacks insights from social science and user feedback, potentially limiting the practical impact of these innovations. This article contributes to the EERs literature by proposing an AI-supported framework and outlining potential research areas for future exploration, particularly improving tool effectiveness and stakeholder engagement to scale up the EER practice. Keywords: AI; energy-efficient renovations; information and communication barriers; stakeholders Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8660 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives on the Integration of AI Into Walkability Assessment Tools: A Systematic Review File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8518 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8518 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8518 Author-Name: Yasin Delavar Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, University of Florida, USA Author-Name: Sarah Gamble Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, University of Florida, USA Author-Name: Karla Saldana-Ochoa Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, University of Florida, USA Abstract: This study employs a systematic literature review (PRISMA methodology) to investigate the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in walkability assessments conducted between 2012 and 2022. Analyzing 34 articles exploring data types, factors, and AI tools, the review emphasizes the value of utilizing diverse datasets, particularly street view images, to train supersized AI models. This approach fosters efficient, unbiased assessments and offers deep insights into pedestrian environment interactions. Furthermore, AI tools empower walkability assessment by facilitating mapping, scoring, designing pedestrian routes, and uncovering previously unconsidered factors. The current shift from large-scale spatial data analysis (allocentric perspective) to a ground-level view (egocentric perspective) and physical and perceptual features of walking introduces a subjective lens into current walkability assessment tools. However, the efficacy of current methods in addressing non-visual aspects of human perception and their applicability across diverse demographics remains debatable. Finally, the lack of integration of emerging technologies like virtual/augmented reality and digital twin leaves a significant gap in research, inviting further study to determine their efficacy in enhancing the current methods and, in general, understanding the interaction of humans and cities. Keywords: artificial intelligence; digital twin; human perception; urban built environment; walkability; walkability assessment; walkable environment Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8518 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: A Machine Learning Approach to Adapt Local Land Use Planning to Climate Change File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8562 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8562 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8562 Author-Name: Julia Forster Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Spatial Planning, TU Wien, Austria Author-Name: Stefan Bindreiter Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Spatial Planning, TU Wien, Austria Author-Name: Birthe Uhlhorn Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria Author-Name: Verena Radinger-Peer Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria Author-Name: Alexandra Jiricka-Pürrer Author-Workplace-Name: Institute of Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria Abstract: The impacts on living conditions and natural habitats deriving from planning decisions require complex analysis of cross-acting factors, which in turn require interdisciplinary data. At the municipal level, both data collection and the knowledge needed to interpret it are often lacking. Additionally, climate change and species extinction demand rapid and effective policies in order to preserve soil resources for future generations. Ex-ante evaluation of planning measures is insufficient owing to a lack of data and linear models capable of simulating the impacts of complex systemic relationships. Integrating machine learning (ML) into systemic planning increases awareness of impacts by providing decision-makers with predictive analysis and risk mitigation tools. ML can predict future scenarios beyond rigid linear models, identifying patterns, trends, and correlations within complex systems and depicting hidden relationships. This article focuses on a case study of single-family houses in Upper Austria, chosen for its transferability to other regions. It critically reflects on an ML approach, linking data on past and current planning regulations and decisions to the physical environment. We create an inventory of categories of areas with different features to inform nature-based solutions and backcasting planning decisions and build a training dataset for ML models. Our model predicts the effects of planning decisions on soil sealing. We discuss how ML can support local planning by providing area assessments in soil sealing within the case study. The article presents a working approach to planning and demonstrates that more data is needed to achieve well-founded planning statements. Keywords: GIS analysis; machine learning; nature-based solutions; spatial analysis; spatial planning Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8562 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Simulating Complex Urban Behaviours With AI: Incorporating Improved Intelligent Agents in Urban Simulation Models File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8561 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8561 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8561 Author-Name: Solon Solomou Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Architecture, University of Nicosia, Cyprus Author-Name: Ulysses Sengupta Author-Workplace-Name: Manchester School of Architecture, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK / Manchester School of Architecture, University of Manchester, UK Abstract: Artificial intelligence is a transformational development across multiple research areas within urban planning. Urban simulation models have been an important part of urban planning for decades. Current advances in artificial intelligence have changed the scope of these models by enabling the incorporation of more complex agent behaviours in models aimed at understanding dweller behaviour within alternative future scenarios. The research presented in this article is situated in location choice modelling. It compares outcomes of two multi-agent systems, testing intelligent computer agent decision-making with selected behavioural patterns associated with human decision-making, given the same choices and scenarios. The majority of agent-based urban simulation models in use base the decision-making of agents on logic-based agent architecture and utility maximisation theory. This article explores the use of cognitive agent architecture as an alternative approach to endow agents with memory representation and experiential learning, thus enhancing their intelligence. The study evaluates the model’s suitability, strengths, and weaknesses, by comparing it against the results of a control model featuring commonly used logic-based architecture. The findings showcase the improved ability of cognitive-based intelligent agents to display dynamic market behaviours. The conclusion discusses the potential of utilising cognitive agent architectures and the ability of these models to investigate complex urban patterns incorporating unpredictability, uncertainty, non-linearity, adaptability, evolution, and emergence. The experiment demonstrates the possibility of modelling with more intelligent agents for future city planning and policy. Keywords: agent-based modelling; artificial intelligence; cognitive agents; complexity; household location choice; intelligent agents; market dynamics; planning tools; urban simulation Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8561 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: In Praise of Diversity in Participatory Heritage Planning Empowered by Artificial Intelligence: Windcatchers in Yazd File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8724 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8724 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8724 Author-Name: Mahda Foroughi Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology, Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands Author-Name: Tong Wang Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Management in the Built Environment, Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands Author-Name: Ana Pereira Roders Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology, Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands Abstract: Heritage planning is changing, in both theory and practice. There is greater attention to the cultural significance (values and attributes) conveyed to a heritage property, rather than focusing on the property alone. Identifying and revealing this cultural significance has become a critical step in heritage planning. Moreover, international guidelines increasingly encourage public participation in defining the cultural significance of heritage sites. However, effectively involving diverse stakeholders and capturing the cultural significance they attribute to heritage remains a challenge, particularly when dealing with extensive datasets and multiple stakeholders. Although automated methods have shown potential in fields like digital humanities, their application in heritage planning is still limited. This article explores the innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly text classification analysis, to analyze unstructured textual data (e.g., policy documents, literature, and social media) to uncover the cultural significance of built heritage. Focusing on Yazd, Iran, and specifically on windcatchers—a key cultural attribute recognized for its “outstanding universal value” by UNESCO—this study integrates AI to enhance both urban and socio-cultural planning. This article, as the concluding piece of a broader research project, synthesizes the project’s findings to highlight AI’s potential for inclusive heritage planning, referencing related publications of the same project to provide context while remaining concise. The research is structured in three phases: first, a literature review on AI applications in participatory heritage planning and value-based heritage planning; second, the methodology for data collection and analysis, including coding and comparing values and attributes of windcatchers conveyed by different stakeholders; and third, findings on the values and attributes, and their interrelationships as revealed through the data. The results confirm that while there are both conflicts and alignments in the cultural significance attributed to windcatchers in Yazd among various stakeholders, the theoretical framework presented here offers a valuable tool for heritage planning. By decoding and measuring cultural significance from diverse perspectives, this framework aids in identifying conflicts and alignments and in better aligning stakeholder perspectives. This model can be adapted to other key attributes in Yazd and other case studies, offering broader applications in heritage planning. Additionally, the findings underscore the potential of AI to evaluate the legislative framework’s effectiveness in enhancing public engagement. Keywords: artificial intelligence; cultural heritage; cultural significance; Iran; public participation; Yazd Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8724 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: The Potentials and Limitations of Agent-Based Models for Urban Digital Twins: Insights From a Surveillance and Behavioral Nudging Simulation File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8613 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8613 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8613 Author-Name: Sarah Shtaierman Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, Technical University of Munich, Germany Author-Name: Catarina Fontes Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, Technical University of Munich, Germany Author-Name: Christoph Lütge Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, Technical University of Munich, Germany Abstract: Although urban digital twins are still at an embryonic stage of development, their use cases are multiple, ranging from big data aggregation to simulations. Additionally, predictions can be rendered and quickly implemented using actuators to transform physical environments and influence urban life. In this article, we investigate the potential of an agent-based model in a smart city setting to predict emergent behavior in relation to the suppression of civil violence by implementing crowd management practices. To this end, we designed a simulation environment that includes cameras in public spaces and wearable sensors, and considers nudging and self-nudging processes supported by a surveillance apparatus. Building on Epstein’s threshold-based model of civil violence, the proposed simulation is informed by surveillance theories and contemplates methods for crowd monitoring and social control. The experiments’ results provide insights into how specific measures and combined actions may influence the suppression of civil violence in public spaces and can be useful to inform crowd management activities and policymaking. Moreover, we use the simulation to reflect upon the potentials and limitations of integrating agent-based models into urban digital twins and emphasize the imminent risks for individuals and democratic societies of employing a ubiquitous surveillance apparatus endowed with the autonomy to trigger actuators. Keywords: agent-based model; crowd modeling; smart city; surveillance systems; urban digital twin; urban planning Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8613 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: What Is My Plaza for? Implementing a Machine Learning Strategy for Public Events Prediction in the Urban Square File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8551 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.8551 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 8551 Author-Name: Jumana Hamdani Author-Workplace-Name: School of Information Systems and Technology Management, University of New South Wales, Australia / Department of Spatial Planning, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden Author-Name: Pablo Antuña Molina Author-Workplace-Name: IAAC—Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Spain Author-Name: Lucía Leva Fuentes Author-Workplace-Name: IAAC—Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Spain Author-Name: Hesham Shawqy Author-Workplace-Name: IAAC—Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Spain Author-Name: Gabriella Rossi Author-Workplace-Name: CITA, Royal Danish Academy, Denmark Author-Name: David Andrés León Author-Workplace-Name: IAAC—Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Spain Abstract: Plazas are an essential pillar of public life in our cities. Historically, they have been seen as public fora, hosting public events that fostered trade, interaction, and debate. However, with the rise of modern urbanism, city planners considered them as part of a larger strategic development scheme overlooking their social importance. As a result, plazas have lost their function and value. In recent years, awareness has risen of the need to re-activate these public spaces to strive for social inclusion and urban resilience. Geometric and urban features of plazas and their surroundings often suggest what kinds of usage the public can make of them. In this project, we explore the application of machine learning to predict the suitability of events in public spaces, aiming to enhance urban plaza design. Learning from traditional urbanism indicators, we consider factors associated with the features of the public space, such as the number of people and the high degree of comfort, which are evolved from three subcategories: external factors, geometric shape, and design factors. We acknowledge that the predictive capability of our model is constrained by a relatively small dataset, comprising 15 real plazas in Madrid augmented digitally to 2025 fictional scenarios through self-organising maps. The article details the methods to quantify and enumerate quantitative urban features. With a categorical target variable, a classification model is trained to predict the type of event in the urban space. The model is then evaluated locally in Grasshopper by visualising a parametric verified geometry and deploying the model on other existing plazas worldwide regarding geographical proximity to Madrid, where to share or not the same cultural and environmental conditions. Despite these limitations, our findings offer valuable insights into the potential of machine learning in urban planning, suggesting pathways for future research to expand upon this foundational study. Keywords: data classification; event prediction; machine learning; Madrid; plaza; public squares; self-organising maps; urban planning Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8551 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Introduction: AI for and in Urban Planning File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9417 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9417 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9417 Author-Name: Tong Wang Author-Workplace-Name: AiBLE Lab, TU Delft, The Netherlands Author-Name: Neil Yorke-Smith Author-Workplace-Name: STAR Lab, TU Delft, The Netherlands Abstract: As a tool serving other disciplines of enquiry, artificial intelligence (AI) offers the potential of a potent discovery, a design and analysis paradigm to address (new) questions in urban planning. This thematic issue raises a forum for cross-disciplinary dialogues at the intersection of urban planning and AI. Nine articles discuss both emerging use cases in urban planning practice and the relevant AI techniques being used and developed, as well as articulate the challenges associated. Future development of AI in urban planning shall address the ethical, inclusive, and just implications of AI applications for urban planning while navigating human and AI agents’ interactions and intra-actions to facilitate a better understanding of the intentions of AI development and use, and the impacts on the behaviour of designers and users in complex urban planning practices. Keywords: artificial intelligence; development and evaluation needs; social-technical evaluations; urban planning practices Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9417 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Title: Local Voices, Global Goals: Participatory Planning for Localizing the UN SDGs in UNESCO Heritage Site Management File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9039 File-Format: text/html DOI: 10.17645/up.9039 Journal: Urban Planning Volume: 10 Year: 2025 Number: 9039 Author-Name: Iuliia Eremenko Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw, Poland Author-Name: Tymoteusz Kraski Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw, Poland Abstract: The research detailed here has explored the role of local actors in integrating SDGs into World Heritage Site Management Plans, within a polycentric governance framework. It highlights how SDGs can be localized in the context of World Heritage cities management and urban development. The Medieval Town of Toruń, Poland, serves as a case study here. Empirically, this research was based on three types of data collection, entailing: qualitative analysis of key documents facilitating the pursuit of the SDGs in urban planning; semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of the city administration, members of the Revitalization Committee, members of local NGOs, urban activists, as well as individuals officially designated as experts in city administration documents for projects related to World Heritage; participant observations of Revitalization Committee meetings. In the context of Toruń, the Revitalization Committee emerges as a key actor contributing substantially to the formulation of the World Heritage Site Management Plan and the integration of SDGs, despite not being initially designated for these functions. Toruń’s proactive approach, which expands periodic reporting and utilizes the Committee to enhance social participation in decision-making, seeks to ensure the integration of sustainable development principles into the urban planning framework, optimizing financial and human resources without the need to create new structures. The committee’s influence is evident in the integration of elements from the Revitalization Plan into the World Heritage Site Management Plan, underscoring a strong connection between participatory planning and the pursuit of SDGs in the context of World Heritage site management. Keywords: heritage expertise; participatory planning; polycentric governance; Revitalization Committee; Sustainable Development Goals; UNESCO; World Cultural Heritage; World Heritage Cities; World Heritage Site Management Plan Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9039