I’m excited to share that I’m working with Planetizen on a new professional development class, Preparing Your Planning Agency for AI.
AI tools are already entering planning workflows across the public sector, often before agencies have developed clear governance, internal guidance, or shared implementation practices. This 6-week class walks through AI readiness. Space is limited. Sign up today at: https://www.planetizen.com/ai-class
Five practicing planners offer their advice for diving — cautiously — into using AI in their day-to-day work. See my column at: https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/137643-getting-started-ai-part-2-what-some-planners-are-actually-saying
A few thoughts on the increasing concerns about data centers as part of the AI boom. Read it on Planetizen at: https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/137025-what-data-center-boom-means-planners
Top 20 Schools by Median Citations
A lot of recent conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) in urban planning have focused on language and text-related data. AI can summarize public comments, draft memos, scan reports, and help planners make sense of large amounts of information, typically text. In other words, AI is largely assisting the profession through words. See the Planetizen column at: https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/136842-ai-planners-explained-urban-digital-twins?amp
AI can help planners make sense of lots of community input and hear from those who don’t usually show up. But it shouldn’t replace real conversations. Be upfront about how stakeholders’ input is used and ensure the process remains fair. In short, AI can be super helpful, but only if planners use it thoughtfully. https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/136462-dos-and-donts-using-ai-community-engagement-urban-planners
Political pushback against DEI is igniting right at the moment that AI is rising in urban planning. If we don’t fight it, the results could be catastrophic. See my Planetizen column here.
AI can already draft policy briefs, summarize reports, and even sketch out scenarios, work that once performed by interns and junior planners. So what happens when the “training ground” for future planning professionals disappears? My latest Planetizen column asks whether planners are on the verge of being sidelined by their own tools, or whether we’ll take the lead in strategizing about how AI will reshape our field. https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/136043-will-urban-planners-lose-their-jobs-ai
Top schools by median citations
Top faculty by total citations and H-Index
New book due out in October. See: https://www.routledge.com/Artificial-Intelligence-for-Urban-Planning/Sanchez/p/book/9781032760469
