Citizen-Centric Ai in Smart Cities for Participatory Urban Governance Local Actions from Egypt, Germany and the Republic of Korea

Join us to explore AI's transformative role in urban planning across Egypt, Germany, and Korea. Learn how citizen-led approaches and participatory governance can overcome create inclusive, people-centered smart cities for the future!

SaeBom Song

Facilitator

Sila Ceren Varis Husar

Facilitator

November 5, 2024 | 15:00 - 16:30

Multipurpose room 19

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Germany

English

Reference:

NE 19-02

WUF12

Networking Events

Summary

In the past decade, the rise of digital technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), has presented unprecedented opportunities and challenges for urban development worldwide. With more accessible urban data, using AI-supported big data analysis and evidence-based decision-making in urban planning holds tremendous potential to revolutionize urban governance and public services to enhance citizens' participation. However, the prevailing top-down implementation of digital initiatives, driven by global hype and techno-determinism, often results in limited citizen participation and democratic decision-making at the local level. This raises a crucial question: How can we effectively engage local citizens in addressing local challenges and leverage digital technologies tailored to their local contexts? Cities need to transition from a technocratic approach to one that is citizen-led, fostering inclusive urbanization in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11.

Our networking event will explore various local applications of AI in urban planning practices, drawing insights from three countries with distinct urbanization dynamics and levels of digitalization: Egypt, Germany, and the Republic of Korea.

The Government of Egypt announced a national AI strategy, placing robust citizen engagement at its core. AI-driven platforms have facilitated real-time communication between citizens and local governments, ensuring contextually and culturally sensitive interventions. Furthermore, the integration of AI for analyzing collected data enables informed decision-making, reflecting the true needs of citizens, fostering a more participatory urban governance.

Germany serves as a key example of the diverse adoption approaches of AI in urban planning, reflecting its unique federal structure. While initially cautious about AI due to ethical and privacy concerns, German federal states and local governments have shown innovative approaches in public services such as e-participation and digital twins , highlighting citizen-centric approach to deploying AI, demonstrating responsiveness to the specific needs of local citizens.

The Republic of Korea launched the 'urban planning with big data and artificial intelligence (AI Urban Planning R&D)' initiative in 2023, selecting three local governments for pilot projects to demonstrate the application of technology tailored to their unique local challenges. Korea is an interesting example of how AI can be used as a tool tailored to local contexts to address unique urban challenges at the local level.

Centering 'people' at the heart of any project at the local level creates a shared foundation for exchanging experiences and exploring potential pathways across diverse sociocultural contexts. During the event, panelists will share key local actions undertaken in their distinctive local contexts, offering insights into innovative approaches and envisioning future solutions to address urban challenges on a global scale.

Objectives

The key objective of this session is to share experiences and key local actions from Egypt, Germany, and Korea regarding citizen-centric perspectives on AI applications in smart city initiatives. These countries will discuss common challenges such as ethical and privacy concerns, as well as share lessons learned from their experiences in overcoming these challenges, while fostering increased citizen participation and co-creation of participatory urban governance. The following aspects will be discussed with the panelists to gain insights on this topic:

I. People and technology
1. Who are the primary leading actors who create the vision and implementation of technology in each country?
2. Why are 'people' weighted as essential in visions, implementation, and use of technology?
3. What are the roles of citizens in the implementation and use of technology?

II. People and AI in urban planning
1. What are the distinctive opportunities and challenges in applying AI in diverse urban planning and smart city initiatives in their local contexts? (Best practices, Ethical and privacy, the lack of regulators…)
2. How is AI beneficial for participatory urban governance to solve their local problems?

III. From citizen centered local action to global guidance
1. What are the primary discrepancies between global imaginaries and local imaginaries surrounding AI?
2. What recommendations can be applied globally to place ‘people ’and their needs at the center of the use of AI?
3. Which social, legal and technological settings are the key enablers for citizen centered application of AI?