In partnership with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, children were taught the fundamentals of urban design. Using a specially adapted, kid-friendly version of an AI co-planning tool, young minds were invited to reimagine their everyday environments.
Context
Client
Milano Digital Week
Location
Milan, Italy 🇮🇹
Year
2023
In October 2023, during Milano Digital Week, the museum hosted a unique workshop to introduce young participants and their parents to the world of urban planning. The core objective was to teach the next generation why urban design matters, how planners impact community well-being, and why a city must reflect diverse perspectives to truly thrive.
At the same time, conventional urban planning principles may appear overly complex or detached for younger age groups. Organizers needed a highly intuitive, engaging medium to translate these complex ideas into a hands-on learning experience, giving children a practical way to express their own visions for the city.
Engagement method
To make this possible, a simplified interface was developed, tailored specifically for children. The “Kids as urban planners” workshop kicked off with a discussion on what urban planners actually do before transitioning into interactive activities.
Armed with tablets and mobile phones, the young participants tackled their first major task: redesigning a typical schoolyard. As they grew comfortable with the tool, the session expanded into a broader conversation about their daily experiences in Milan. Guided by facilitators, the children conceptualized their ideal urban spaces, and the platform instantly turned their imaginative concepts into detailed, realistic visualizations. After each task, the group reviewed the generated images together and voted on their favorite designs. Facilitators then led discussions to highlight the common features and shared priorities that emerged in the top-voted solutions.
Impact
This groundbreaking initiative demonstrated that age is not a barrier to meaningful participatory design.
- Early Civic Engagement: By placing children at the heart of the design process, the workshop fostered a strong sense of civic responsibility, helping young citizens understand their capacity to shape the world around them.
- Accessible Tech Education: The event successfully demystified advanced technology, giving children a friendly, hands-on introduction to generative AI within a practical, real-world context.
- Pioneering Participatory Design: The workshop proved that with an adaptable interface, even the youngest community members can clearly articulate their spatial needs and actively contribute to urban planning discourse.
Delivered together with project partners.