Between Imagination and Image: How AI Supports Participation in Urban Planning

This contribution offers a practice-based reflection on the participatory use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in urban planning. Examining UrbanistAI, a tool that facilitates communication between residents and urban planners, reveals essential insights into the participatory design process. Drawing on qualitative research and a case study in Kaarina, Finland, the paper demonstrates how residents submitted ideas that were transformed into visualisations, enhancing their engagement within the planning process. While the AI tool encourages inclusive participation and creative dialogue, challenges emerge related to representation and aesthetic bias. The findings underscore the importance of integrating ethical and methodological considerations into the design and application of AI technologies, advocating for their use as catalysts within accountable and participatory frameworks, rather than as replacements for conventional methods. This aligns with the workshop's goal of exploring how participatory methods can evolve to remain socially responsible and inclusive amidst digitalisation.