AI Basics for Urban Planning and Development
Overview
This 2 hour starter session will be Delivered by James Mant MPIA & Jennifer George MBA, GAICD (Finalist – Women in Digital: Leader in AI).
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of everyday life, from search engines and document drafting to analysis and decision support. But what does it mean for planning and development?
This course is aimed at councils, consultants, developers and others in the development sector. But is a broad starter course so equally might be of interest to wider audience.
This session introduces the basics of AI in plain language, helping to understand what it is (and isn’t), how it works, and why trust, accuracy, and ethics matter.
From there, we explore how AI can support streamlining repetitive work, improving engagement, and enabling more time for collaboration, communities and improving outcomes. Plus some key important factors such as accurracy and security.
Rather than replacing people, AI has the potential to reignite the purpose and creativity of the sector, supporting a renaissance in planning and development.
This course is supported by the Planning Institute of Australia.
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Highlights
- 2 hours
- Online
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Location
Online event
✅ Part 1: AI Foundations & Strategic Context
Topics covered: What AI is (and isn’t) How it works in simple terms Opportunities and limitations Trust, accuracy, and data considerations Ethics, transparency, privacy and accountability Why AI matters for planning, the development industry and local government Outcome: A clearer understanding of AI basics, risks, and relevance to planning practice.
✅ Part 2: How AI Supports Planning and Development Practice
This session shifts from concepts to practical application, showing where AI can add value across everyday planning and development work. We introduce real examples of how AI can streamline repetitive tasks, improve engagement, strengthen coordination, and provide clearer, more consistent information for applicants, communities and decision-makers. We also cover key considerations such as accuracy, data security and responsible use, and outline how organisations can prepare their people, systems and processes for emerging AI tools. Outcome: A practical understanding of how AI can support efficiency, collaboration and better outcomes across the planning and development workflow.
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James Mant
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