The Art of Learning by Example

This article published in Planning Magazine explores how AI can change planning practice through the exploration of applications of computer vision (a sub-domain of AI). This article focuses on applications of computer vision that can most facilitate better planning and design: digitizing the built environment at scale, reimagining urban observation, and empirically evaluating the impacts of changes to the built environment. Beyond these applications, the article ends with a reflection on challenges related to these technologies such as bias and privacy concerns, and what planners can do to responsibly leverage these emerging AI-enabled technologies.

You can find the article at APA’s Website here.

I also will eventually have some content and thoughts related to the article on my personal website here.

Acknowledgments

I am honored to have contributed a feature article on AI's practical intersection with urban planning in APA Planning Magazine. This however has been an area of exploration for over a year with recorded presentations both at APA Nationals and for the APA NY Technology Committee in 2019. For those efforts, I want to thank Marshall Ballard, Ryan Cook, and Dr. Michael Flaxman.

For this article I got a lot of constructive feedback from quite a few people: Kendra Breiland, Marshall Ballard, Christa Wimberley, Ben Lytle, Tyler Scott, Chelsea Leu, Aaron Gooze, Julie Morgan, and Dr. Flaxman. I would be remiss if I did not call out the excellent layout and edits by APA Planning Magazine staff. If I forgot anyone, please don't hesitate to remind me.

Of course I owe some incredible content to the folks at Mapillary, Ecopia, Transoft Solutions (formerly Brisk Synergies), Microtraffic, Quantifly, Vade, Geopipe, Automotus, and Numina for this article and other presentations. Of course the inspiration for the name of the article and great artwork of Memo Akten.

All of that said, I really need to thank Dr. Michael Flaxman for all of our conversations around this and related topics over the past 5 years. I never really knew where our conversation at the 2015 Geodesign Summit would take us, but I know I am better for it.