Facilitating Democratic Participatory Design with Natural Language Processing: The Machine of City

The proposal for “The City Machine” investigates the role of natural language processing (NLP) technologies in enhancing community engagement in the architectural design process. This project aims to empower citizens through simplified communication and foster collaboration, ultimately leading to more inclusive and responsive urban environments that reflect the diverse voices of the community.
A communication platform was created using NLP, allowing for public participation in the design process through commenting, liking, and selecting preferred reference images. Processed high-frequency keyword information can be accessed by designers, providing insights into community needs. Additionally, an architectural app store was conceptually developed, integrating human-computer interaction to promote public involvement. The needs of the community—expressed through text and images—are translated by architects into modular designs within the app store. These modules can subsequently be selected by the public and incorporated into spaces prepared by professionals.
Through this communication platform and design mechanism, it is aimed that all participants in the design process are given a meaningful voice, fostering a collaborative atmosphere for the creation of democratic participatory design together.
Through such a communication platform and design mechanism, I hope that everyone involved in design will have a better voice in design so that we can create a better design together.