Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: The Poly-Rhythmic City: Urban Community Land Trusts as Opposition to the Slow Violence of Housing Development
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9123
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9123
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9123
Author-Name: Robert Read
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Business & Law, Anglia Ruskin University, UK / Suffolk Sustainability Institute, University of Suffolk, UK
Author-Name: NezHapi-Dellé Odeleye
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Science & Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Author-Name: Alison Hirst
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Business & Law, Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Author-Name: Alison Pooley
Author-Workplace-Name: Suffolk Sustainability Institute, University of Suffolk, UK
Abstract: Gradual and invisible, “slow violence” has been applied to housing and urban redevelopment, gentrification, and its embodiment as stress and anxiety by those affected, usually the least well-off. This article presents a case study of the London Community Land Trust (CLT), which was engendered from a combination of the longstanding traditions of East End opposition to social harms, combined with new mutual housing forms that emerged in the early 2000s. Campaigners invested energy in the CLT, generating new rhythms and an imagination of territory that would provide an alternative to the failure of mainstream housing systems. The homes would be affordable to local people on average incomes and the neighbourhood characterised by a sense of belonging and community. The case study’s findings offer a fresh perspective on London’s housing crisis, and the potential of CLTs, by centring the experience and reflections of some whose lack of a suitable home threatened them with spatial displacement. Participant observation, surveys, and interviews with residents show the depth and impact of London’s housing crisis through reflections on the past, the joys and challenges of moving to an affordable, secure home, while building new relationships with neighbours and the physical environment.
Keywords: community land trust; community-led housing; slow opposition; slow violence; territorialisation
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9123

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Temporalities for, of, and in Planning: Exploring Post-Growth, Participation, and Devolution Across European Planning Reforms
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9121
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9121
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9121
Author-Name: Lucía Cerrada Morato
Author-Workplace-Name: Geography Department, King's College London, UK / Institut Metròpoli, Spain
Author-Name: Agnieszka Zimnicka
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Urban Design and Regional Planning, Gdansk University of Technology, Poland
Author-Name: Judi Wilson
Author-Workplace-Name: Independent Researcher, UK
Abstract: In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the acceleration of climate change, many governments are turning to their planning systems to explore how national planning reform can help them address their current crisis. Time across planning reforms appears as a central dimension, building on governments’ long-term ambitions to speed planning. While academic normative debates argue in favour of faster and/or slower changes to planning as inherently good or bad, this article draws on a comparative analysis of national planning reforms across three European countries to critically examine how time is being mobilised and with what objective. Through an analytical framework that seeks a more holistic understanding of the planning process, we argue that temporalities in planning are relational. Across the three cases, we can see how the generation of consensus depoliticises the use of time, and it is generally used to advance regressive agendas. We argue that despite ambitions to make planning more responsive and participatory at the local level, planning reforms (a) reduce the influence of public participation while strengthening private property rights; (b) are used to territorialise sectoral, top–down, and long-term agendas with no consideration of the timely and situated concerns and visions of residents and communities; and (c) are underpinned by a pro-growth and rapid urbanisation agenda that ignores sustainability debates.
Keywords: planning reforms; planning systems; planning temporalities; post-growth; public participation
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9121

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Temporal Entanglements, Fragmented Spaces: Planning, Politics, and Place Rhythms
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/10506
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.10506
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 10506
Author-Name: Aysegul Can
Author-Workplace-Name: Institute for Regional Studies, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
Author-Name: Lakshmi Priya Rajendran
Author-Workplace-Name: The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, UK
Author-Name: NezHapi-Dellé Odeleye
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Science & Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Abstract: What does it mean for urban planners and designers to shape places <em>through </em>and <em>with </em>time? The 2020 public health restrictions highlighted the relevance of Carlos Moreno’s et al. (2021) 15-minute-city concept, which outlined the need for a “chrono-urbanism” incorporating societal resilience micro-infrastructures. Notions of temporal planning, however, have deeper roots; Kevin Lynch’s classic imageability (1964) and place-timing studies<em> </em>(1972)<em> </em>highlighted Planning as a temporal art, distinct from arts such as music, and his urban theorization (1984) identified three epochs of city form (the cosmic, organic, and mechanical) as successively dominant, spatiotemporal paradigms. More recently, Christopher Alexander’s (2002) analyses on the “nature of order” drew attention to the importance of time and geometry for the appropriate unfolding of complexity across domains from the arts and crafts to the scales of built form. Time is implicated in Planning’s capacity to effectively harness space in meeting societal needs and challenges. Given the “temporal turn” in urban planning and design, this is an appropriate juncture to reflect upon technical assumptions underlying varied approaches to place-shaping. This issue explores how currently dominant, linear-temporal modes might be influencing spatial planning and design practices, and how inclusion of diverse, forgotten, and hidden spatiotemporal narratives including from the global South could aid development of alternative theories, tools, practices, and forms. Contributions also address implications digital modes may have for education, praxis, or resilient, city visions, and what might be the contribution of temporal perspectives in addressing the slow and out-of-sight violence created by toxic geographies or urban transformations.
Keywords: design; planning; practice; slow-violence; space; theory; time; urban
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:10506

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Walkability and Flood Resilience: Public Space Design in Climate‐Sensitive Urban Environments
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9561
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9561
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9561
Author-Name: Jakub Gorzka
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Architecture, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
Author-Name: Izabela Burda
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Architecture, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
Author-Name: Lucyna Nyka
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Architecture, Gdańsk University of Technology, Poland
Abstract: In the contemporary urban landscape, walkability is shaped by the spatial characteristics of the built environment and its ability to adapt to environmental risks, particularly those posed by climate change. This study explores the intersection of walkability and flood adaptation strategies in waterfront public spaces across nine cities in the Baltic Sea Region, analysing their morphological characteristics with a focus on connectivity, accessibility, and climate adaptability. Using a mixed‐method approach that integrates spatial mapping, quantitative metrics, qualitative analysis, and comparative case studies, this research evaluates the effectiveness of urban structure transformations and the introduction of blue‐green infrastructure, floating structures, and nature‐based solutions in enhancing walkability while mitigating flood risks. The findings reveal significant improvements in connectivity, as indicated by extended pedestrian route networks (increases of 6%–28%), enhanced link–node ratios (increases of 24%–39%), and a substantial rise in the number of urban nodes with direct water access (150%–1900%). These results demonstrate that climate‐adaptive urban design not only strengthens flood resilience but also fosters vibrant, walkable, and socially inclusive public spaces. This study provides valuable insights for urban planners, architects, and policymakers, proposing strategies to integrate flood resilience into walkable urban environments. By emphasising the synergy between walkability and climate adaptation, this research advances the discourse on sustainable urban planning. The findings highlight the potential of adaptable waterfronts, incorporating blue‐green infrastructure and flexible design principles, to enhance urban resilience while maintaining public space quality and accessibility.
Keywords: blue‐green infrastructure; flood risk; public space design; sustainability; urban resilience; walkability
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9561

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: help Them help Themselves: A Toolkit to Facilitate Transformative Community‐Based Climate Change Adaptation
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9509
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9509
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9509
Author-Name: Subhashree Nath
Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, TU Dresden, Germany / Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), Germany
Abstract: Inclusive, co‐created strategies are crucial for climate adaptation in vulnerable communities, as they empower local stakeholders to actively participate in decision‐making, tailoring responses to specific needs. However, tools that facilitate this collaborative approach are scarce and often inaccessible to under‐resourced groups. This article introduces help Them help Themselves (hThT), a web‐based tool designed for transformative community‐based climate change adaptation (TCbA), which enhances co‐creation in adaptation planning. Derived through a combined literature review and key informant interviews, hThT integrates local climate data to offer community‐specific, actionable adaptation recommendations. A novel voting feature within the tool allows community members to evaluate proposed measures directly via mobile devices, ensuring broader participation—particularly among women and marginalised groups, who are often restricted by socio‐cultural norms and existing power relations. Further, hThT incorporates a reflexive questionnaire that supports facilitators in maintaining inclusive, transparent, and accountable adaptation processes, offering a structured approach to co‐creation. Serving as a boundary object, hThT enables shared understanding and collaborative decision‐making across diverse groups, bridging governance gaps that commonly impede adaptive planning. Leveraging advances in ICT, hThT aims to enhance the accessibility and usability of climate information, fostering representative decision‐making in adaptation planning. By embedding hThT into broader adaptation frameworks, these efforts become more effective and scalable across varied communities, offering a realistic, participatory model for adapting to the uncertainties of climate change.
Keywords: climate change; co‐creating adaptation; collective decision‐making; community‐based adaptation; transformative adaptation; under‐resourced communities; web‐based tools
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9509

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Space-Shaping Through Rhythmic Interventions for Teaching and Learning: Pedagogical Perspectives
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9201
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9201
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9201
Author-Name: Robin A. Chang
Author-Workplace-Name: Chair of Planning Theory and Urban Development, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Author-Name: Pinar Sefkatli
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Abstract: We explore the challenges and opportunities relevant to rhythmanalytical<em> </em>approaches in teaching and learning through two socio-spatial and design-oriented courses with graduate and undergraduate students. Through the courses we investigate how different understandings and analyses of <em>rhythms-through-space</em> in comparison to <em>rhythms-in-space</em> generate different patterns of interventions. We also share prospects for preparing and structuring future teaching and learning that integrate time-sensitivity through constructively aligned activities supporting the development of different forms of knowledge. This work supports recent calls for greater attention to how temporality and particularly rhythms could be better understood, observed, framed, and conveyed. In the foreground is the need to improve how we guide students’ research through design-oriented learning experiences. For this we provide frameworks bringing together concepts from rhythmanalysis and constructive alignment. We draw on comparative and case study experiences from 2022 and the winter of 2023/2024 involving interdisciplinary bachelor-level and master-level courses, respectively. Our cases wrangle with the relationships between socio-spatial and temporal scales that steer or constrain rhythmic patterns expressed in students’ analyses and design interventions. From an instructional standpoint, this contribution poses the question: Which conceptual structures in design-oriented pedagogy could support rhythmanalytical approaches and capacities for future spatial planners and designers? Our final reflections discuss opportunities for improvement and evaluate how future planning pedagogy research and work could build on our experiences.
Keywords: constructive alignment; course design; pedagogy; rhythmanalysis; spatial planning and design
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9201

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: "Where Is the Time?": Time Poverty and Women's Urban Mobility Narratives in Kochi, India
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9272
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9272
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9272
Author-Name: Fathima Zehba M. P.
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Architecture and Planning, National Institute of Technology Calicut, India
Author-Name: Lakshmi Priya Rajendran
Author-Workplace-Name: Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, UK
Author-Name: Mohammed Firoz C.
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Architecture and Planning, National Institute of Technology Calicut, India
Abstract: Time poverty disproportionately affects urban women due to the societal expectations of balancing their work and gender roles. In urban environments, women’s time use is significantly influenced by their daily mobility experiences. Despite a wealth of existing research on time use and mobility, mostly in developed countries, understanding gendered dimensions of mobility and time poverty in cities of developing nations remains unexplored. Using Tiznado Aitken et al.’s (2024) integrated time use framework, the study explores how necessary, committed, contracted, and travel time collectively shape the daily routines of low-income women workers in Kochi City, India. The method involves qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews conducted during December 2022–January 2023. Interview analysis highlights entrenched gender roles disproportionately burdening women with unpaid domestic and caregiving responsibilities, leading to severe time poverty among low-income working women. The study also identifies how time poverty is exacerbated by travel constraints and access to transport services. This study substantially strengthens the literature on time poverty and gendered time use, emphasising the necessity for institutional reforms to elevate the quality of life for urban women workers. The findings presented hold implications for urban planning, transportation policy, and social equity initiatives aimed at enhancing accessibility and inclusivity within cities of the Global South.
Keywords: gendered mobility; gendered time poverty; urban women; work–life balance
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9272

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Making Places: From Non-Place to User-Generated Space Through a Diversity of Media
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9063
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9063
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9063
Author-Name: Weijue Wang
Author-Workplace-Name: The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, UK
Author-Name: Mark Tewdwr-Jones
Author-Workplace-Name: The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, UK
Author-Name: Valerio Signorelli
Author-Workplace-Name: The Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, UK
Abstract: The prevalence of rich and dynamic multimedia information has dramatically accelerated the development of communicative non-places over the last 30 years. This has prompted planners to consider the question of how the long-term shift from a place-based to a non-place-networked public realm can be achieved. This article proposes the hypothesis that users of digital infrastructure in non-places create temporary non-places. In this process, a “non-place,” as intended by Augé, is neutral and lacks identity, but digital technology endows this physical non-place with new characteristics: identical, relational, and historical. By focusing on London as a case city, this article proposes a new method for observing the transformation process of urban places and non-places from location-based social media data. The research involved collecting, quantitatively, geo-targeted contributions within London during a predefined period, and an analysis of contributions on social media over time, collected from X, Foursquare, and Instagram. Daily digital activity patterns show distinctive temporal narratives in non-place-based digital spaces. The key findings from these patterns are: (a) There is a rhythmic difference between digital and physical activities in non-places; and (b) non-places accelerate the use of digital technologies as they stimulate the desire to share personal status through social media. The study aims to understand what placemaking practices occur in spaces overlayed by invisible infrastructures, as well as users’ self-generated spatio-temporal perceptions.
Keywords: digital activity patterns; location-based social media; non-places; placemaking; spatio-temporal perceptions; temporal narratives
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9063

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Community Food Systems Report Cards as Tools for Advancing Food Sovereignty in City-Regions
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9413
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9413
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9413
Author-Name: Charles Z. Levkoe
Author-Workplace-Name: Canada Research Chair in Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems, Lakehead University, Canada
Author-Name: Mary Anne Martin
Author-Workplace-Name: Research for Social Change Lab, Trent University, Canada
Author-Name: Karen Kerk
Author-Workplace-Name: CityStudio, City of Thunder Bay, Canada
Author-Name: Francesca Hannan
Author-Workplace-Name: Durham Food Policy Council, Canada
Abstract: Developing pragmatic possibilities for advancing food sovereignty to address challenges of justice and sustainability within food systems is an essential project for human survival. A practical starting point is to identify existing challenges along with comprehensive strategies that avoid isolated fixes. Community food systems report cards are a tool to inform and influence city-region food system governance by providing a connected and comprehensive snapshot of these systems, connecting people, places, and processes, and informing research, decision-making, and program planning. This article explores and reflects on the experiences of developing community food systems report cards in Thunder Bay and Durham Region in Ontario, Canada. Through sharing lessons learned, cautions, and limitations, we explore the report cards’ origins, development processes, findings, distribution, and impacts. We argue that community food systems report cards can be a valuable tool for understanding a city-region food system, monitoring progress, identifying gaps, and comparing and communicating experiences to communities, food system stakeholders, and decision-makers. However, community food systems report cards are only the starting point for advancing food sovereignty in city-region food systems.
Keywords: city-region; food policy councils; food sovereignty; food system assessments; food systems report cards
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:9413

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: <i>Democracy Otherwise</i>: Learning From the South
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/8909
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.8909
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 8909
Author-Name: Tanja Winkler
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Planning & Geomatics, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Abstract: More than 40 years of neoliberal globalization have led to a democratic deficit that necessitates urgent redress. <em>Democracy otherwise</em>—which is grounded in decoloniality and its accompanying epistemologies of the South—provides urban and regional planners with an opportunity to learn from the diverse democratic practices emerging in the Global South, practices that are deliberately delinked from the state and capitalism. One such example is found on communal landholdings in South Africa, where residents deploy multiple principles of legitimacy to foster an emplaced democracy. But given the entwined relationship between planning and the state, and the state’s support of market rationalities, decoloniality urges us to question whether alternative democratic practices are possible beyond local settings. Findings presented in this article suggest that place dependency diminishes transferability and scalability. Nevertheless, herein lies the power of an otherwise democracy to counter coloniality, while keeping alive Derrida’s “always to come” narrative, which challenges the liberal tradition of democracy as the only and most profitable outcome. This perspective enables planners to learn from the South—not to replicate its rich diversity, but to appreciate multiple democratic possibilities that acknowledge pluriversality, relationality, popular knowledges, local experiences, and situated worldviews, while nurturing “polities of difference” and “becoming in place,” in tandem with “idioms of autonomy and community.”
Keywords: coloniality; epistemologies of the South; liberal democracy; Rural Women’s Movement
Handle: RePEc:cog:urbpla:v10:y:2025:a:8909

Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Title: Shearing Layers of Space: Exploration of Permanency and Temporality in the Public Realm
File-URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/urbanplanning/article/view/9332
File-Format: text/html
DOI: 10.17645/up.9332
Journal: Urban Planning
Volume: 10
Year: 2025
Number: 9332
Author-Name: Michael Crilly
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Northumbria University, UK
Author-Name: Georgiana Varna
Author-Workplace-Name: School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University, UK
Abstract: 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 <em>co-policies</em> 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