PlanAIr. Planning and Artificial Intelligence in Urban Research

Abstract

Drawing on James Lovelock’s concept of the Novacene, this editorial for the PlanAIr thematic issue frames the contemporary city as the primary crucible in which the alliance among human intelligence, artificial intelligence (AI), and ecological systems is negotiated. It argues that the current dominant paradigm of “Urban AI”—largely confined to data-driven optimization and “weak AI”—is insufficient for addressing the socio-ecological and cognitive complexities of the Anthropocene.

Building on this analysis, the editorial introduces the special issue PlanAIr to investigate the “epistemic turn” in urban planning and to explore how AI necessitates a rethinking grounded in urban ontology, concept-driven governance models, and hybrid design methodologies. This collection of interdisciplinary contributions takes a first step toward bridging the gap between data-driven approaches and cognitive reasoning, moving beyond the efficiency narratives of the smart city.

The editorial contends that, with a generative, hybrid, and ontology-aware AI, we can shift from exploiting AI as a tool for management to engaging AI as a partner in co-creating inclusive, transparent, and resilient urban futures.