Wide access to large volumes of urban big data and artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools allow performing new analyses that were previously impossible due to the lack of data or their high aggregation. This paper aims to assess the possibilities of the use of urban big data analytics based on AI-related tools to support the design and planning of cities. To this end, the author introduces a conceptual framework to assess the influence of the emergence of these tools on the design and planning of the cities in the context of urban change. In this paper, the implications of the application of artificial-intelligence-based tools and geo-localised big data, both in solving specific research problems in the field of urban planning and design as well as on planning practice, are discussed. The paper is concluded with both cognitive conclusions and recommendations for planning practice. It is directed towards urban planners interested in the emerging urban big data analytics based on AI-related tools and towards urban theorists working on new methods of describing urban change.

With the increasing significance of Big Data sources and their reliability for studying current urban development processes, new possibilities have appeared for analyzing the urban planning of contemporary cities. At the same time, the new urban development paradigm related to regenerative sustainability requires a new approach and hence a better understanding of the processes changing cities today, which will allow more efficient solutions to be designed and implemented. It results in the need to search for tools which will allow more advanced analyses while assessing the planning projects supporting regenerative development. Therefore, in this paper, the authors study the role of Big Data retrieved from sensor systems, social media, GPS, institutional data, or customer and transaction records. The study includes an enquiry into how Big Data relates to the ecosystem and to human activities, in supporting the development of regenerative human settlements. The aim of the study is to assess the possibilities created by Big Data-based tools in supporting regenerative design and planning and the role they can play in urban projects. In order to do this, frameworks allowing for the assessment of planning projects were analyzed according to their potential to support a regenerative approach. This has been followed by an analysis of the accessibility and reliability of the data sources. Finally, Big Data-based projects were mapped upon aspects of regenerative planning according to the introduced framework.

In last thirty years Poland has gone a long way toward democracy and decentralization. Role of public participation in planning is increasing rapidly and recently many new instruments of empowering the community is being introduced, participatory budgeting is one of the most important. On the other hand, urban regeneration is one of the most important challenges of polish cities are facing. Technical and transport infrastructure investments are, in most cases, financed by public sphere. We can also observe increasing role of NGO's in neighbourhood regeneration process but their scope of actions is mostly limited to soft projects. The paper tries to answer the question whether participatory budget can fill this gap and be a source of financing local community needs. This paper shows the creation and evolution of participatory budgets in Poland as well as the process of their implementation including examples of projects financed from participatory budget in Polish cities. It consists of analyses of participatory budgets’ expenditures structure and influence of the projects on the neighbourhood and the city. It also assesses long term influence and identify barriers, challenges and opportunities of using this instrument in urban regeneration process

This work discusses recent developments in sharing economy concepts and collaborative co-design technology platforms applied in districts and cities. These developments are being driven both by new technological advances and by increased environmental awareness. The paper begins by outlining the state of the art in smart technology platforms for collaborative urban design, highlighting a number of recent examples. The case of peer-to-peer trading platforms applied in the energy sector is then used to illustrate how sharing economy concepts and their enabling technologies can accelerate efforts towards more sustainable urban environments. It was found that smart technology platforms can encourage peer-to-peer and collaborative activity, and may have a profound influence on the future development of cities. Many of the research and development projects in this area to date have focused on demonstrations at the building, neighbourhood, and local community scales. Scaling these sharing economy platforms up to the city scale and beyond has the potential to provide a number of positive environment impacts. However, significant technical and regulatory barriers to wider implementation exist, and realising this potential will require radical new approaches to the ownership and governance of urban infrastructure. This paper provides a concise overview of the state of the art in this emerging field, with the aim of identifying the most promising areas for further research.

The European Commission puts a growing emphasis on the smart specialization as a tool of regional development. This term is present in a number of strategic development documents in the European Union, including Europe 2020, published by the European Commission in 2010. It implies the need for countries and regions to specialize as well as focus the development of innovation on areas that are consistent with their endogenous potentials.Objectives of this paper are: (1) to present the method and results of the process of identifying smart specialization in Pomeranian Voivodship; (2) to analyse evolution of the fields of smart specialization; (3) to identify problems and challenges which occurred during this process. In this research, following methods have been applied: (1) analysis of existing documents including application forms for the competition of Pomeranian smart specialization, (2) individual in-depth interviews with members of partnerships and representatives of the Voivodeship Marshal's Office, (3) authors’ observations while participating in this process. The authorities of the Pomeranian Voivodeship see the smart specialization as an area with high potential, relevant to the development of the Voivodeship, based on the unique resources of the Region and their innovative use. It is assumed that, among others, implementation of R & I is contributing to the development of existing economic specialization and having an impact on the growth of competitiveness of the Pomeranian Region on the national and international arena. The process of identification of smart specialization has been implemented in three phases