Artificial Intelligence for Urban Planning (Paperback or Softback)

This book aims to introduce planners to AI, outlining essential concepts, terminologies, and methodologies. AI now promises to reshape urban planning, but as with many technological innovations, AI also introduces ethical, practical, and organizational challenges. Understanding both AI’s current capabilities and its limitations is essential for planners, even as we acknowledge the rapid and unpredictable nature of its evolution. Chapters address some of these complexities, not by providing definitive answers, but by introducing urban planners to core AI topics. The book shows how planners can effectively use AI in their daily practices, engage constructively with technical specialists, and critically assess the appropriateness of these technologies in different planning contexts. This book will be of interest to both urban planning professionals and researchers.

Thomas W. Sanchez, PhD, AICP, is a Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University. He earned his PhD in City Planning from Georgia Tech and a Master of City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. His research and teaching focus on cities, planning methods, transportation, and technology. His most recent books include Networks in the Knowledge Economy (with Denise Bedford) and Planning Knowledge and Research. Sanchez serves as the American Planning Association (APA) Education Committee Chair and as a member of APA’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Foresight Community.