CONTENTS
CharacterTowns.org Issue: # 200 January, 2026
Character towns, small and large, build social cohesion, community connections, civic pride, hometown spirit and institutional trust with great neighborhoods, vibrant downtowns, successful development corridors, superior schools, holistic open space systems and ubiquitously green infrastructure. Character towns are communities where residents, businesses and civic interests collaborate with strategies and actions driven by a community-based vision. Character towns result from vision and leadership.
THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EDITION
A PRIMER AND REVIEW FOR PLANNERS NEW TO AI
- Preface to Artificial Intelligence
- How is Artificial Intelligence is Changing Society?
- How is Artificial Intelligence helpful to Urban Planning?
- What is a Digital Twin in Urban Planning?
- What are the RISKS with AI in Community Planning?
- How Planners can manage the risks of AI
- AI applications in everyday Community Planning
- City Planning AI Case Studies
- Compendium of Related Application: AI in Architecture & Engineering
Want to Learn More?
FROM THE PLANNERS’ BOOKSHELF
Recommended Books and example Learning Resources
*Note: Portions of the assembled articles represent curated questions and graphics prompted through Large Language Models such as ChatGPT, CoPilot, and Gemini and then cross referenced, edited and supplemented by the authors Bill Kercher and Pete Sechler. Yes, we wanted to include AI in this exploration of Artificial Intelligence in Planning!