A Survey of Physics-Informed AI for Complex Urban Systems

TL;DR

This paper reviews physics-informed AI methods applied to complex urban systems, categorizing approaches, analyzing applications across urban domains, and identifying future research directions for smarter, more reliable urban management.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive taxonomy of physics-informed AI approaches in urban systems and systematically reviews their applications and potential gaps.

Findings

Classifies physics-AI integration into three paradigms.

Analyzes applications across eight urban domains.

Highlights future research directions.

Abstract

Urban systems are typical examples of complex systems, where the integration of physics-based modeling with artificial intelligence (AI) presents a promising paradigm for enhancing predictive accuracy, interpretability, and decision-making. In this context, AI excels at capturing complex, nonlinear relationships, while physics-based models ensure consistency with real-world laws and provide interpretable insights. We provide a comprehensive review of physics-informed AI methods in urban applications. The proposed taxonomy categorizes existing approaches into three paradigms - Physics-Integrated AI, Physics-AI Hybrid Ensemble, and AI-Integrated Physics - and further details seven representative methods. This classification clarifies the varying degrees and directions of physics-AI integration, guiding the selection and development of appropriate methods based on application needs and data availability. We systematically examine their applications across eight key urban domains: energy, environment, economy, transportation, information, public services, emergency management, and the urban system as a whole. Our analysis highlights how these methodologies leverage physical laws and data-driven models to address urban challenges, enhancing system reliability, efficiency, and adaptability. By synthesizing existing methodologies and their urban applications, we identify critical gaps and outline future research directions, paving the way toward next-generation intelligent urban system modeling.