Levels of Automation in Urban Design Through Arti ficial Intelligence: A Framework to Characterize Automation Approaches

One of the most important consequences of digitalization and the progress of artificial intelligence is automation in all areas of life. In this paper we investigate the automation of urban design. Based on four levels of automation, we provide a conceptual framework for the classification and comparison of various urban design automation approaches and consider the scope of their applicability and the division of tasks between humans and computers. The proposed framework is applied in two demonstration projects. Finally, we discuss the technical needs and possibilities for increasing urban design automation, as well as the implications these are expected to have for the profession of urban designers and architects.