Artificial intelligence: does it have a place in town planning?

01 Dec 2023

When you hear of artificial intelligence, your perception has probably changed over the years from it being depicted as robots or synthetic humans in movies (think Star Wars, Terminator, Wall-E, Ex Machina, Blade Runner), towards the more intangible programming that permeates our society.

In this TBB Insights blog, Michael takes a look at how AI can perform in the town planning space, exploring how our industry could benefit from technology to work smarter, not harder.

AI, it’s arrived

Microsoft and the Australian Signals Directorate are forging ahead with a A$5billion investment to expand their hyperscale cloud computing and AI infrastructure in Australia over the next two years – the single largest investment in its forty-year history in the country. Smart cities are using advanced technology like South Korea's smart city program. And at TBB we are seeing more and more planning projects aimed at the current technological and knowledge economy aspects of AI, including at Curtin University, the Bentley technology precinct, and the Australian Automation and Robotics Precinct.

The premise, in a town planning sense, is to use data, science, technology and engineering to improve the amenity, sustainability and resilience of our cities and towns, and to inform our decision-making.

Using AI in town planning

I recall several years ago sitting in a workshop listening to the presenter describe how our mobile phones provide data tracking based on our movements (accelerometers and GPS), what locations we visit, how fast we are moving and even what method of travel we are using.

Interestingly, even if switching ‘off’ these location services, service providers can still track our location and data is still collated.   Companies can access this aggregated movement data, compiled alongside aggregated banking data, to analyse how people are spending money across a town or city.

I’ll admit that I was surprised that this data was readily available for consumption by companies. But what are they actually using this type of data for?

The media makes a pretty compelling case that we should now be concerned about what data is inputted into advanced chatbots. The risk is that this data is exploiting consumers or driving misinformation. The general point of AI is that the data analysis process is automated based on identifying complex patterns and predictive insights. Essentially, AI is faster and more accurate than humans, but it can also go wrong when used the data being supplied is trying to generate disinformation and misinformation (for example, “fake news”).  So, its possibly not a far leap to be mindful that things could be wrong when integrating AI into our daily lives and workplaces.

There is a positive spin to this. Critical thinking, analysis and quality assurance are skills that town planners use in their daily jobs. These skills will be transferrable into any project that uses AI for tasks like processing data or generating content, so on balance town planners working with AI have the ability to make data-driven decisions using relevant information and insights. And this has the strong potential to enhance the credibility and robustness of our town planning advice and approach. Alongside this, there is also value in using other AI tools like:

• Using ChatGPT to generate content such as for communications like emails. Potentially this leaves planners with more time to apply their thinking to the more critical aspects of the job like community and stakeholder engagement, urban design, strategic planning and more technical planning matters.
• Using AI such as DALL E to generate images and other visuals for using in workshops to explain complex ideas (some examples of this are included below).
• Using tools like Lateral IO for literature reviews and analysis of material, allowing you to form a database, take notes, and refer to a number of texts.

Our time is valuable, so where AI can process research and analysis faster and more accurately, it’s worth being open to the idea.

Collecting data, processing data, and understanding how to implement data into town planning projects is becoming critical in order to improve how we are planning for our communities and our cities. Town planners need to evolve their data analysis skills to keep up with our changing world, and with it, grow an understanding of the role that AI can play. Importantly, without good data processing and analysis skills, town planners will be at the mercy of data overload and without AI we are at risk of missing key insights that could lead to incomplete analysis and conclusions.

Working smarter

Overall, there are benefits in looking at AI to automate and make our workplaces more efficient and productive. Applying our focus time, higher-order thinking and brainpower to the tasks that matter most and need our unique skills simply makes sense.

Here’s a handful of ideas on how AI can help with productivity:

• Rewriting content for a different audience: We all know that different audiences need different styles so why not ask AI to rewrite technical information into something more accessible? AI can improve communication by providing quick and concise responses to inquiries or by helping you draft emails or documents.  A number of software applications on our phones and computers are readily available to help simplify our lives.
• Using it with search engines: AI is now embedded into browsers such as the Windows Copilot AI. This helps to provide quick and accurate answers, saving time from searching through documents or browsing the internet.
• Automating repetitive tasks: AI can help automate certain tasks, such as responding to common questions, scheduling meetings, or sending reminders. This can save you time and allow you to focus on more important tasks.

As a final thought, here’s a ChatGPT-generated haiku poem of town planning

Urban planners strive
To design cities with care
Harmony prevails