From TikTok to AI: Lessons in digitising planning and engagement

The last few years has seen digital technology becoming central to how we live and work. From social media to artificial intelligence, technology is disrupting many sectors. This article is a summary of a recent webinar we held about digitisation in planning and engagement, with advice for tools you can use right now. The webinar was part of our Kent Design programme.

Charlotte Hunter (Communications Potential) explored how to use social media and simple digital tools to engage a wider audience in planning. Russell Curtis (RCKa) shared how local authorities can make use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to unlock small sites and for better evidence-based planning.?

Low-tech Digital Engagement?

To deliver great places that respond to local need, meaningful public engagement is a necessity. Charlotte Hunter explained how simple digital tools like social media can be leveraged to expand our reach in engagement. To get the biggest impact, first identify which demographics you want to target. For instance, if you are interested in hearing from young people, TikTok will be a better platform than Facebook. If you want a broad reach, consider using multiple platforms.

What medium you use is just as important: consider creating short, snappy videos to grab people’s attention and then direct them to a website with more information. Later in the planning process, videos can be used again to show how public consultation feedback has influenced the plans being prepared. People are much more likely to watch a short video than wade through a lengthy pdf document.??

Charlotte highlighted how engaging with social media can help planners and developers tackle misinformation that sometimes spreads on these platforms. In general, social media is good for reaching people and advertising consultations but not so good for generating nuanced comments or conversation.??

For gathering comments on local plans or large masterplans, map-based digital platforms like Commonplace are incredibly useful. These tools allow residents to add notes to specific locations on a map to tell the council or developer exactly what they want. These also help with transparency and encouraging public debate because everyone’s comments are visible on the platform.??

However, not everyone is comfortable reading maps or using these tools by themselves. In-person engagement events sill play an important role and digital technology can be integrated into these too. Help residents to understand how a place will feel in 3D using interactive tech like virtual reality or video games. These are a particularly good way of engaging with children and teenagers, while teaching them about planning.??

Overall, digital approaches to engagement should not fully replace in-person consultation events. However, they can help us to broaden our reach and engage with a wider audience. Although they can be expensive, often their use can be tailored to fit tight budgets.??

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Artificial Intelligence in Planning?

At the cutting edge of digital technology, Russell Curtis explored how AI can be trained to identify small sites for development. The development of small sites (defined as <0.25ha in the London Plan) could be part of the solution to the housing crisis in urban areas. However, they are difficult to identify and challenging to deliver. Russell has trained an AI to search within the London Borough of Lewisham for small sites that fit certain criteria. The result is an identification of 9,000 small sites across the borough, far above what was previously thought possible, with the caveat that accuracy is not 100%. Russell is currently refining the model to be more accurate and hopes to roll it out across London and beyond in the future.??

This project demonstrates the potential of AI in planning. In the near future it is possible that user-friendly AI programmes could be used to make valuable contributions to local plan making and site allocations, identifying sustainable sites for intensification. However, this technology needs to be paired with expert validation and design skills to get the best outcomes. Russell explained that design codes can be an excellent tool to incentivise the development for small sites with appropriate typologies.?

What tools are you using? Let us know in the comments.

About Kent Design

Kent Design is a membership network for built environment organisation working or interested in Kent and Medway. It features an annual programme of webinars and in-person events exploring design, planning and sustainability. Below are some of the members.