CoDesignAI: An AI-Enabled Multi-Agent, Multi-User System for Collaborative Urban Design at the Conceptual Stage

TL;DR

CoDesignAI is a novel AI-enabled multi-agent system that facilitates collaborative urban design by engaging multiple users and AI agents in participatory, iterative, and visual design processes at the conceptual stage.

Contribution

This paper introduces a new web-based platform integrating generative AI and spatial mapping to enhance public participation in urban design, shifting from expert-centered to participatory approaches.

Findings

Supports multi-user collaboration with AI agents in urban design.

Enables iterative refinement and visualization of design proposals.

Documents and facilitates public engagement in early urban planning stages.

Abstract

Public participation has become increasingly important in collaborative urban design; yet, existing processes often face challenges in achieving efficient and scalable citizen engagement. To address this gap, this study explores how large language models (LLMs) can support cooperation among community members in participatory design. We introduce CoDesignAI, a collaborative urban design tool that combines multiple users, representing residents or stakeholders, with multiple AI agents, representing domain experts who provide facilitation and professional knowledge during the conceptual stage of urban design. This paper presents the system architecture and main components of the tool, illustrating how users interact with AI agents within a collaborative and iterative design workflow. Specifically, the system integrates generative AI with spatial mapping services to support street-level visualization of design proposals. AI agents assist users by summarizing discussion content, extracting shared design intentions, and generating prompts for presenting design interventions. The system also enables users to revise and refine their ideas over multiple rounds while documenting the design process. By combining conversational AI, multi-user interaction, and image-based design grounded in real-world urban contexts, this study argues that AI-enabled design systems can help shift urban design from an expert-centered practice to a more open and participatory process. The paper contributes a new web-based platform for AI-assisted collaborative design and offers an early exploration of how AI agents may expand the capacity for public participation in urban design.