AI-Driven Sustainable Spatial Planning: Advancing Climate-Neutral Cities through Digital Innovation
This project aims to enhance climate action in urban spatial planning by extending an AI-powered Decision Support System (AI-DSS) developed in the Smart Built Environment project “AI-powered Knowledge Integration to C arbon-Neutral C ities.” The extended AI-DSS will integrate nature- based solutions (NbS), leverage advancements in AI, and develop a framework to facilitate climate action planning, particularly in smaller and resource-poor cities. By testing the tool in both Stockholm, a global sustainability leader, and Trelleborg, a small city undergoing significant urban transformation, the project will evaluate the effectiveness of AI-driven spatial planning for missions reduction. The expected outcomes include a state-of-the-art, open-source DSS that enables planners to quantify the climate impact of spatial strategies, a practical framework for implementing AI-assisted climate action planning in cities with limited resources, and new scientific knowledge in urban sustainability, AI applications, and NbS modeling. The project directly contributes to Sweden’s climate goals for 2030 and 2045, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the objectives of the Smart Built Environment program. By fostering collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and planners, this work will accelerate the transition to climate-neutral cities and provide a scalable model for urban climate action worldwide.
Project name and -number: AI-Driven Sustainable Spatial Planning: Advancing Climate-Neutral Cities through Digital Innovation
Project leader:
Zahra Kalantari
, Division of Water and Environmental Engineering, SEED, KTH
Other participants in the project from KTH: Ulla Mörtberg
Participating universities/companies/other organisations: Shanghai Jiao Tong University, MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Trelleborgs kommun, Region Stockholm, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Project period: 2025-06-01 - 2028-05-31
Financing: Formas
Cities play a central role in the fight against climate change. They are home to more than half of the world’s population and account for around 70% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with transportation, energy use, and buildings being the largest contributors. As urban populations continue to grow, cities face the dual challenge of accommodating more people while reducing their climate impact. Even Sweden, often seen as a global leader in climate action, must accelerate its efforts to meet its target of net-zero emissions by 2045. Achieving this goal requires innovative, data-driven approaches to urban planning. This project addresses these challenges by advancing and expanding an AI-powered Decision Support System (DSS) that helps cities integrate climate action into spatial planning. This innovative tool provides policymakers and urban planners with quantitative feedback on how different development strategies impact emissions. Unlike many existing planning tools, which focus on isolated solutions, this DSS can assess multiple climate action strategies simultaneously at a city-wide level. The tool will be expanded to incorporate cutting-edge research on nature-based solutions (NbS) such as urban forests, green roofs, and wetland restoration, which can absorb carbon emissions while improving urban resilience and quality of life. Additionally, the project will enhance the DSS’s artificial intelligence capabilities, enabling it to generate optimized urban plans that balance growth with sustainability. A key aspect of this project is testing and refining the AI-DSS through real-world case studies in two Swedish cities: Stockholm and Trelleborg. These cities represent different urban contexts and challenges. Stockholm, Sweden’s largest metropolitan area, has ambitious climate goals but faces complex planning challenges. The project will explore how AI and NbS can help Stockholm achieve its sustainability targets while maintaining a livable, high-density environment. Trelleborg, a growing regional city in southern Sweden, presents a different challenge: balancing expansion and economic development with climate goals. The project will demonstrate how smaller cities can use AI-powered planning tools to make informed decisions that reduce emissions and enhance resilience. By working in both a major capital city and a smaller municipality, the project ensures that its findings will be applicable to cities of varying sizes and capacities. Beyond benefiting Stockholm and Trelleborg, the project has far-reaching implications for urban planning and climate action in Sweden and internationally. The improved AI-DSS will provide cities with a user-friendly, evidence-based platform for testing policy scenarios and assessing their climate impact. Recognizing that smaller and resource-poor cities often lack the expertise and funding needed to implement advanced climate planning tools, this project will also develop a framework for integrating the AI-DSS into their decision-making processes. This framework will outline step-by-step strategies for applying the tool to different urban contexts, ensuring that cities with limited resources can still make data-driven, climate-smart planning decisions. By providing guidance on how to collect relevant data, interpret AI-DSS outputs, and implement cost-effective climate strategies, the framework will make AI-powered urban planning accessible to a wider range of cities.
The outcomes of this research align with Sweden’s national climate strategies, the EU Green Deal, and global commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By helping cities plan for climate neutrality, the project contributes to a broader movement toward sustainable urban development. Ultimately, this project will provide cities with the tools they need to make informed, data-driven decisions that reduce emissions while fostering livable, resilient communities. The enhanced AI-DSS, along with the implementation framework, will serve as vital resources for planners, policymakers, and researchers, ensuring that cities, regardless of their size or resources, can grow and thrive without compromising the health of the planet. By bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world implementation, this project will empower cities to take meaningful steps toward a greener, more sustainable future.
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