AI and Sustainable Urbanization for Good

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AI and Sustainable Urbanization for Good

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    The webinar “AI and Sustainable Urbanization for Good,” organized by the Seoul Institute (SI), Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), and the Korea Planning Association (KPA), explores the transformative role of AI in sustainable urbanization. Discussions focus on how AI enhances decision-making in urban planning and design, offering innovative solutions for resilience, equity, and sustainability.

    A key focus is AI’s ability to address complex urban challenges such as transportation, waste management, and housing. Tools like digital twins and generative AI enable planners to simulate scenarios, improve public engagement, and make data-driven decisions, fostering more inclusive and transparent processes.

    The webinar highlights AI’s role in sustainable mobility, showcasing how it optimizes transportation systems while addressing challenges of interpretability and robustness to ensure alignment with long-term urban sustainability goals.

    Additionally, AI-powered satellite data is demonstrated, showing how cities monitor land surface temperatures, tree health, and flood risks. These applications support strategies to mitigate climate impacts, optimize green spaces, and enhance urban resilience.

    The event emphasizes the importance of responsible governance for AI, advocating frameworks to mitigate risks like biases and inequities. It underscores the need for AI to complement human-centered planning and design, ensuring ethical, participatory, and effective approaches to achieving sustainable urban futures.

    Agenda

    • 09:30 – 09:40    Opening Remarks
      • Chair: Eun-Kyeong Kim, Ph.D., LISER
      • Bongmoon Choi, Ph.D., KPA – Big picture
      • Junyoung Choi, Ph.D., SI – Intent of the workshop, future plan/direction
      • Eun-Kyeong Kim, Ph.D., LISER – Workshop program & speakers
    • 09:40 – 09:55    AI for Mega City Planning
      • Junyoung Choi, Ph.D. & Inhee Kim, Ph.D., SI
    • 09:55 – 10:10    AI for Sustainable Urban Mobility
      • Yanan Xin, Ph.D., TU Delft
    • 10:10 – 10:20    AI for Urban Resilience
      • Frankwin van Winsen, Ph.D., WEO
    • 10:20 – 10:35    AI Governance for Cities
      • Shin Koseki, Ph.D., University of Montreal
    • 10:35 – 10:55    Discussions
      • Moderator: Eun-Kyeong Kim, Ph.D., LISER
      • Discussants:
        • 10:35 – 10:40 – Karolina Zieba-Kulawik, Ph.D., LISER
        • 10:40 – 10:45 – Jun Hyun Woo, Ph.D., University of Seoul
        • 10:45 – 10:55 – Speakers’ response to comments and questions
    • 10:55 – 11:00    Closing Remarks
      • Junyoung Choi, Ph.D., SI
      • Eun-Kyeong Kim, Ph.D., LISER

    This presentation by Junyoung Choi of The Seoul Institute explores AI’s transformative role in mega city planning, focusing on Seoul’s unique challenges, including regional transportation, waste management, and housing. AI supports planners with predictive insights, digital twins, and generative AI, enhancing decision-making and public engagement. However, AI's use requires balancing efficiency with human creativity and ethical responsibility. Planners must ensure equity, transparency, and inclusiveness in AI applications, mitigating biases and fostering trust. Highlighting Seoul’s 2040 digital initiatives, the presentation envisions a future where technology complements human-centered planning for resilient, inclusive urban development.

    AI is undergoing rapid developments, showing promises in assisting urban planning and offering new solutions to tackle challenges in sustainability and resilience. Despite the abundant opportunities, the interpretability and robustness issues of AI pose critical barriers to its practical implementation in real-world settings. Using studies in the transportation field, this talk will discuss the research gap and issues of adopting AI in transportation and current efforts in narrowing this gap. By examining these issues, the discussion aims to encourage a more critical view and thoughtful consideration in integrating AI into urbanization and decision-making processes.

    As cities confront the challenges posed by climate change, innovative strategies for enhancing resilience are essential. Urban trees and green spaces play a crucial role in reducing temperatures and flood risks while improving the quality of life in neighborhoods. AI-driven analysis of satellite imagery can create detailed maps and indicators that support informed decision-making for urban planning. By monitoring land surface temperatures, cities can identify heat hotspots and implement targeted cooling strategies. This technology also tracks tree health and growth, enabling municipalities to optimize green spaces for better heat mitigation, improved air quality, and enhanced community well-being. Furthermore, satellite data aids in monitoring sealed surfaces, identifying flood-prone areas, and assessing the potential for green roofs. Integrating satellite data and AI into urban management practices equips cities with the tools needed to create more resilient and sustainable environments in the face of ongoing climate challenges.

    The lack of governance surrounding the development and deployment of AI in cities poses an enormous risk on people and the environment. Apart from the newly enacted EU AI Act, which still must be enforced, there are currently no laws or regulations that frame this technology. The recent veto on California’s regulation shows political leaders’ reluctance to curb the development of algorithms seen as a pivoting point of the economic and geopolitical hegemony for the Twenty-first century. Faced with this situation, how can cities take the matter in their own hands to protect most of the world’s population they now house? How can small communities also adopt better practices to reduce risks of AI on their members? First launched in 2017, AI & Cities is an ongoing investigation into the role of cities in the responsible governance of AI. Published as a report for the United Nations and edited by Mila, the AI & Cities: Risks, Applications and Governance white paper proposes a series of tools to better understand the impact of AI in cities, and how to reduce the risks it poses on urban populations and environment.

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    • Start date
      4 December 2024 at 09:30 CET Geneva | 03:30-05:00 EST, New York | 16:30-18:00 CST, Beijing
    • End date
      4 December 2024 at 11:00 CET Geneva | 03:30-05:00 EST, New York | 16:30-18:00 CST, Beijing
    • Duration
      90 minutes
    • Programme stream
    • UN SDGs
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