Dom’s Blog
When Silicon Meets Cobblestone: Is AI the Secret to a More Human City? By Dom Jinks & Charles Landry
Picture this: you’re standing in a medieval European square, surrounded by centuries-old architecture, and your phone buzzes with a notification. It’s an AI, and it wants your opinion on turning the historic fountain into a pop-up skate park.
Welcome to the wonderfully weird and surprisingly effective world of creative city-making in the 21st century. Across Europe, a quiet revolution is taking place. Cities that we associate with tradition, bureaucracy, and cobblestone streets are embracing artificial intelligence with the enthusiasm of curious explorers. But this isn’t a story about technology for technology’s sake. It’s about using powerful new tools to make our cities more democratic, sustainable, and, well, more human.
In a recent exploration with the urbanist Charles Landry, I delved into ten European cities that are pioneering this new frontier. What we found was fascinating.
In Reykjavik, an AI-powered platform has engaged 70,000 residents in shaping their city, using machine learning to translate ideas and keep the debate civil. In Helsinki, citizens are using AI to generate instant, photorealistic visualisations of their ideas for greener streets, turning abstract concepts into tangible proposals overnight. And in Copenhagen, AI-controlled traffic lights are helping the city march towards its goal of becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral capital.
The surprising truth we discovered is that in the most successful examples, AI isn’t the cold, calculating overlord we often fear. Instead, it’s becoming a collaborative partner—a tool that amplifies human creativity, enhances democratic debate, and helps us understand our urban spaces in deeper ways. It’s not about replacing human judgment, but augmenting it.
These examples are just a glimpse into a much bigger story of urban innovation. From Ghent’s traffic analysis that cares about cyclists to Vienna’s chatbot that speaks with local charm, cities are proving that the future doesn’t have to be a choice between our heritage and the digital age.
Want to discover more? To explore all ten case studies and delve deeper into how AI is reshaping the creative city, read the full piece on Substack.
[Read the full article on Substack from the 21/11/2026]
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