Accelerating Policy Development with AI: A District Planning Case Study
Midjourney Prompt: Rural Town Planning in New Zealand using AI --ar 7:4
Hi everyone,
I’m an urban planner who loves to explore new and better ways of doing things. You may have seen some of my previous projects on my website or my TEDxChristchurch talk.
Today I’m excited to announce a new project that I’m working on - Accelerating Policy Development with AI: A District Planning Case Study.
This project is an experiment to see if I can use AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to prototype an alternative District Plan for the Kaipara District in New Zealand. A District Plan is a document that sets out how land use and development will be managed in a district. It affects things like where you can build houses, businesses, farms, parks, and such, and what rules you have to follow.
The Kaipara District Council is currently reviewing its existing District Plan and has already done some background research and consultation on ‘issues and options’. However, I want to see if I can do something different: what would a District Plan look like if it was drafted by civil society in consultation with the community, using AI tools to generate text and visuals?
Why am I doing this? Well, for several reasons:
I want to explore how AI tools can help with urban planning tasks, such as drafting policies, rules, objectives, and methods.
I want to challenge the traditional way of doing district planning, which can be slow, complex, expensive, and bureaucratic.
I want to see if an alternative hyper-transparent process would encourage the Kaipara community to be more engaged with the planning process.
I want to create an example of a District Plan that is simple, clear, innovative, and responsive to the needs and aspirations of the Kaipara District.
How am I going to do this? Well, I have a plan:
I will define the scope and objectives of the project, based on the main issues and opportunities that have already been identified for inclusion in the District Plan.
I will review the existing data and information from the Council and other sources, and explore alternative ways of communicating with relevant stakeholders, such as mana whenua, landowners, developers, and community groups.
I will use ChatGPT or other AI tools to generate text for different sections of the District Plan, such as policies, rules, objectives, and methods. I will also use visual tools, such as maps, diagrams, charts, and the like, to illustrate ideas and concepts.
I will test and refine the draft District Plan against various scenarios and cases, and seek feedback from stakeholders and experts. I will document my prompts, testing, and feedback process, and explain how I incorporated it into my final version.
I will publish and promote the final District Plan on my website and other platforms, such as blogs, social media, videos, etc. I will invite the public to comment and share their views on it.
This project is not affiliated with the Kaipara District Council or any other official body. It is an independent and experimental project that aims to show what a District Plan ‘could’ look like if it was drafted by civil society in consultation with the community, using AI tools.
I don’t know if this project will work or not. It may be a success or a failure. But I’m willing to try it and see what happens. And I hope you will join me on this journey.
If you are interested in this project, please follow me on my website, where I will post regular updates on my progress. You can also subscribe to my newsletter, follow me on social media, or contact me directly if you have any questions or suggestions.