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Log CM for AICP

Innovation Snapshot

Inclusive Planning for Social Change

Generative AI: Catalyst for Civic Co-Design and Aspirations

Sunday, April 26, 2026
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Location: HPCC, Room 142A-C
CM: .5
As inclusive engagement is essential to socially responsible planning, Generative AI is emerging as a powerful tool in the early visioning process. This presentation examines Generative AI as a provocateur for creative civic input, frameworks for integrating it into engagement workflows, strategies for pairing technology with analog tactics to overcome limitations of traditional engagement, and approaches to addressing biases and barriers. It explores techniques for engaging age groups, languages, and communities using AI-driven tools.

These ideas were tested in a pioneering engagement effort: the Aviation High School Co-Design Workshop for the Sunnyside Vision Plan. Generative AI tools supported visioning sessions with students in New York City, enabling them to rapidly prototype ideas, share narratives, and reimagine public space.

Discover how generative text and image models were deployed - what worked, what didn't, and why. Learn how Generative AI shifts between "translator" and "facilitator," altering dynamics between experts and community members. Unpack the logistics, equity considerations, and framing needed to manage expectations and foster meaningful co-creation.

This presentation is for planners ready to reimagine engagement, harness technology to deepen participation, and design inclusive processes that remain grounded in community voices.
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Learning Objectives:

  • Adopt different Generative AI tools (e.g. speech-to-text, text-to-image) to support specific engagement tasks for diverse ages, languages, and communities.
  • Combine Generative AI processes with traditional engagement tactics to enable real-time visualization of community input and creative engagement grounded in local knowledge, while reducing bias and facilitating effective share-back.
  • Leverage Generative AI as a catalyst for developing new forms of civic expressions, enhancing community narratives, fostering ownership in the planning process, and translating ideas into actionable, equitable insights for planners.