What and How Should Urban Planners Learn in the AI Era? Exploring Urban AI Pedagogy from a Pilot Course in Urban Planning Education

Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to transform urban planning research, practice, and education, yet few curricula address “Urban AI”. This paper presents the pedagogical design of a pilot Urban AI course and argues for three meta learning goals: applying AI effectively and appropriately in urban challenges, addressing its social, environmental, and governance impacts, and developing normative judgements and professional identities around AI. Pilot teaching produced a knowledge graph connecting essential skills to these goals and a critical framework for AI use and reflection, grounded in analysis of 235 student reflection journals, alongside course evaluations, syllabus materials, and student projects (https://www.xiaofanliang.com/teaching/).