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Computer vision (CV) technology, a key subset of artificial intelligence, provides powerful tools for extracting valuable insights from visual data, which is a crucial component for the urban planning process. Despite the promising potential of CV in urban planning, its applications in this context have not been thoroughly examined. This lack of scholarship represents a critical knowledge gap in our understanding of the role of CV in urban planning. This paper aims to provide a consolidated understanding in CV applications in the urban planning process and challenges urban planners face during the adoption of CV. The paper conducts a systematic literature review to tackle the questions of how is CV applied in the urban planning process, and what are the challenges in adopting CV techniques and tools for the urban planning process? The findings revealed: (a) CV could support a broad range of urban planning tasks including data collection and analysis, issue identification and prioritisation, public participation, plan design and adoption, and implementation and evaluation; (b) CV could improve decision-making through various visual information, but its limitations need to be considered, and; (c) Utilisation of CV for urban planning could support the efforts in sustainable urban development. This study informs urban policy- and plan-making circles by providing insights into the existing and prospective contributions of CV in the planning process, how CV transforms and augments planning practices, and elaborates the challenges and limitations of CV adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Cities all over the world have activated policy support for urban consolidation in recent decades. Rationales for urban consolidation focus on its perceived ability to achieve sustainability goals, including decreased automobile dependence, increased social cohesion and greater walkability. Despite this, there are few international examples of urban consolidation policy implementation that has achieved its stated aims. This paper explores the nature and character of perceptions of urban consolidation held by urban planners, developers, architects and local politicians. The perspectives held by these ‘city shapers’ are integral to urban consolidation debates and delivery, yet the nature and character of their specific views are underexplored in urban studies literature. This paper combines the theoretical lens of Social Representations Theory with the methodological approach of Q-methodology to understand the common sense understandings of urban consolidation held by city shapers in Brisbane, Australia. It identifies, synthesises and critically discusses the social representations employed by city shapers to understand, promote and communicate about urban consolidation. Findings indicate that urban consolidation debates and justifications diverge significantly from stated policy intentions and are based on differing views on ‘good’ urban form, the role of planning and community consultation and the value of higher density housing. We conclude that there is utility and value in identifying how urban consolidation strategies are influenced by the shared beliefs, myths and perceptions held by city shapers. Understanding these narratives and their influence is fundamental to understanding the power-laden manipulation of policy definitions and development outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent international trends towards urban consolidation, intended to reduce outward urban sprawl by concentrating growth within existing neighbourhoods, can cause contention in cities. Understanding how the mass media represents urban consolidation can lead to more informed and democratic planning practices. This paper employs Social Representations Theory to identify and understand representations of urban consolidation in newspaper media. The theory recognises that the media is a key purveyor of public discourse and can reflect, shape or suppress ideas circulating in society. This novel approach has not previously been applied to understanding social representations of urban consolidation strategies in the mass media. The rapidly growing and changing city of Brisbane, Australia, is utilised as a case study. Brisbane is situated in South East Queensland, the fastest growing region in Australia, and is governed by regional and local planning policies that strongly support increased densities in existing urban areas. Findings from a quantitative textual analysis of 449 articles published in Brisbane newspapers between 2007 and 2014 reveal key clusters and classes of co-occurring words that represent dominant social representations apparent in the newspaper corpus. The paper provides two key conclusions. The first is that social representations occurring in mass media represent an important source of information about ‘common sense’ understandings and evaluations of urban consolidation debates. The second is that urban consolidation is represented as a multifaceted issue, including interrelated themes of housing, sustainable population growth, investment strategies and the interplay between politics and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]