Ethical AI: Human-centered approaches for adaptive and sustainable urban planning and policy

Abstract

This review examines how Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI) can be effectively integrated into land use policy and spatial planning to promote ethical, inclusive, and sustainable urban development. HCAI emphasizes user empowerment, transparency, and ethical accountability principles that are increasingly essential in addressing the complexities of modern planning systems. The purpose of this review is to explore how HCAI, when combined with humanistic planning practices, can enhance decision-making processes and foster public trust. The review identifies key strategies for embedding HCAI into spatial contexts, including the use of multisensory data, embodied cognition, and urban digital twins. These tools support adaptive, participatory frameworks by capturing human-environment interactions and enabling data-driven, real-time responses to community needs. Case studies in areas such as transportation, green space design, and climate-resilient infrastructure illustrate how HCAI contributes to more responsive and equitable planning outcomes. However, the paper also highlights ongoing challenges, such as ensuring algorithmic transparency, mitigating data biases, and achieving genuinely inclusive participation. Addressing these issues is essential for aligning AI systems with democratic planning values. The review concludes by outlining future directions for research and practice, including advancing real-time, participatory urban digital twin platforms, improving multimodal data integration for inclusive planning, and developing robust ethical frameworks to guide AI deployment in land use governance. These steps are crucial to realizing the full potential of HCAI in building climate-resilient, socially responsible, and community-driven urban systems.