Generative AI in Participatory Urban Planning: Synthetic Inhabitants and Experts

Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly applied in urban planning for text production, visualization, analytics, stakeholder communication, and participatory engagement. Large language models (LLMs) enable the creation of synthetic participants to support the early-stage design, analysis, and testing of participatory tools. This article demonstrates an innovative use of GenAI through synthetic inhabitants and experts in an immersive digital urban planning environment. DigitalTurku serves as a proof-of-concept for an immersive planning tool within an urban digital twin. The case relies on synthetic personas—residents and expert stakeholders—to evaluate how a GenAI-assisted urban platform may shape participation experiences and trust in local urban planning. The findings indicate that synthetic experts expressed a reduced bureaucratic distance, enhanced transparency, and more meaningful participation. However, assessments of tools and digital environment usability varied according to digital skills and demographic characteristics embedded in the personas. The use of synthetic personas helps identify opportunities and challenges in immersive urban planning environments and supports the design of digital tools in smart cities to strengthen human residents’ spatial understanding and experiential engagement in planning processes. The creation of synthetic data and participants is convenient with LLMs. Despite these tools’ limitations, they can play a valuable role in piloting participatory planning processes to support and complement human-based participation.