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GeoDesign is undergoing a methodological shift through its integration with Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) and artificial intelligence (AI), moving from static spatial analysis to interactive and justice-oriented planning practices. This editorial reframes GeoDesign as both ethical and civic efforts. While digital twin technologies enable participatory planning and multiscalar data integration, they also raise concerns about bias, transparency, and governance. The six contributions in this special issue examine frameworks for ethical design, participatory tools, data interoperability, housing policy modeling, and planning pedagogy. Collectively, they advance the field of Ethical GeoDesign, emphasizing accountability, representation, and equity in UDTs.
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Geodesign in the era of artificial intelligence
Abstract This paper explores the evolution of Geodesign in addressing spatial and environmental challenges from its early foundations to the recent integration of artificial intelligence (AI). AI enhances existing Geodesign methods by automating spatial data analysis, improving land use classification, refining heat island effect assessment, optimizing energy use, facilitating green infrastructure planning, and generating design scenarios. Despite the transformative potential of AI in Geodesign, challenges related to data quality, model interpretability, and ethical concerns such as privacy and bias persist. This paper highlights case studies that demonstrate the application of AI in Geodesign, offering insights into its role in understanding existing systems and designing future changes. The paper concludes by advocating for the responsible and transparent integration of AI to ensure equitable and effective Geodesign outcomes.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2401860
- PAR ID:
- 10575674
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning
- Volume:
- 3
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2731-6661
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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