UrbanistAI

Prototype 1 - Land use planning

To create an AI-driven digital twin platform that accelerates urban planning, fosters citizen engagement, and enhances transparency in decision-making processes.

PROBLEM DEFINITION Current urban planning processes are often slow and difficult for the public to understand or engage with. Artificially imposed deadlines make the translation of strategies inefficient, while citizens frequently feel left out of discussions, resulting in a lack of trust in the planning system.

AMBITION This use case introduces a digital twin platform powered by AI to streamline urban planning discussions and make them more inclusive. By integrating AI tools with citizen feedback loops, the platform will allow for faster, more informed decision-making and foster a sense of participation among stakeholders.

STAKEHOLDERS Primary Stakeholders: Citizens, planners, private developers, architecture studios, and local government officials.

During the second day of the workshop, we expanded our efforts by developing a working prototype of an application designed to make the Estonian Digital Twin more interactive and accessible to both citizens and urban designers.

This application allowed users to not only navigate the digital twin of the city but also perform simple GenAI transformations on the existing built environment, such as modifying structures, exploring alternative layouts, and simulating design changes in real-time.

The UrbanistAI team worked closely with workshop attendees, gathering feedback and refining features on the spot, ensuring that the tool was both functional and responsive to the needs of citizens and designers alike.

A key figure in this process was Eerik Kivistik, who took charge of developing the core application. He connected UrbanistAI’s capabilities with the Estonian Digital Twin through an API, creating a seamless bridge between the platform’s artificial intelligence and the digital twin’s rich urban data. In addition, This rapid prototyping approach allowed for real-time experimentation, giving both planners and citizens a first-hand experience of how AI could be used to transform urban spaces digitally.

This working prototype laid the foundation for future iterations of the application, demonstrating that digital twins can be a dynamic, participatory tool for urban development when combined with the capabilities of generative AI.