NEWS

Two scientific publications released in 2026 highlight innovative approaches developed through WeGenerate and related research activities in Tampere, Finland. Exploring the potential of digital twins and artificial intelligence (AI) in urban development, the papers examine how digital technologies can broaden participation and bring new perspectives into urban planning.

 

The first publication, Digital twins in safe, sustainable, and inclusive urban planning, using digital tools to empower resident engagement, explores how digital twins can support more inclusive approaches to urban planning. By allowing residents to visualise and interact with proposed urban developments, digital tools can help them better understand future changes and contribute their perspectives. The research examines how these technologies can support planning processes focused on sustainability and safety, highlighting the importance of putting people at the centre of smart-city development.

 

The second publication, Citiverse: AI Sparrow as a Multispecies Participation Agent for Inclusive Urban Futures, explores a different dimension of participation: how artificial intelligence can help bring non-human perspectives into urban planning. Based on participatory workshops in Tampere, the research examines the use of an AI-powered sparrow avatar designed to encourage participants to consider biodiversity and the needs of other species when imagining future urban environments. The findings highlight its potential to foster ecological awareness, empathy and engagement through interactive conversations.

 

Together, the two publications demonstrate how digital innovation can open up new ways of involving people in shaping their urban environments, while also encouraging consideration of the wider ecosystems in which cities exist. They contribute to WeGenerate's vision of more inclusive, sustainable and people-centred neighbourhoods, where technology serves as a tool for meaningful participation and collective urban transformation.

 

 

- Digital twins in safe, sustainable, and inclusive urban planning – using digital tools to empower resident engagement

 

- Citiverse: AI Sparrow as a Multispecies Participation Agent for Inclusive Urban Futures