Designing the Future High Street: Jyväskylä’s UrbanistAI Experience
Driven by a vision to rejuvenate its city center, the City of Jyväskylä in Finland pioneered the inaugural UrbanistAI participatory planning workshop in October 2021. This initiative, aimed at enriching public spaces in the city’s heart, set a particular focus on reshaping the future of the high street.
An interdisciplinary team of urban development experts participated in the dynamic two-day design process. The first day began with multi-perspective analyses, an exploratory tour of the high street, and an UrbanistAI-powered design charrette involving the high street community. This process sparked insightful discussions centered around a transformative manifesto, a future vision, and a timeline for the high street’s redevelopment. On the second day, the design charrette’s results were synthesized and showcased on a dedicated website.
Janne Viitamies, the city center development project manager, lauded the UrbanistAI tool as a game-changer. By enabling participants to visually express their ideas, the platform provided planners with more substantial, tangible input than any previous methods.
This innovative workshop played a pivotal role in assisting the City of Jyväskylä to establish a clear vision for the future of the high street and prioritize their investments effectively.
