CitizenVision: A Mobile App to Promote Citizen Engagement with Generative AI
Journal
Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS ’25 Companion)
Type
conference poster
Date Issued
2025-07-05
Author(s)
Abstract
Traditional methods for citizen participation in urban planning rely on written forms or hand-drawn sketches, which can be inaccessible to those without drawing or design skills. This limits the ability of citizens to communicate their visions effectively, leading to missed opportunities for community-driven improvements. We developed CitizenVision, a generative AI-powered app that enables citizens to visualize their ideas for public spaces by marking areas in photos and textual prompts. CitizenVision incorporates features such as map-based project discovery, keyword-based voting, and community idea browsing. A user study with N=19 participants comparing CitizenVision with a traditional paper-based method showed that CitizenVision significantly improves user experience and engagement. We demonstrate how generative AI can be effectively used in participatory urban planning, allowing citizens to express ideas creatively and interact with those of others. Our findings highlight potential and driving factors for developing similar tools and using them effectively for participatory urban design processes.
Keywords
urban planning
citizen participation
generative AI
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
CitizenVision_DIS2025.pdf
Size
10.9 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
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