SCC-DG: Smart and Connected Bikeways: Community-Driven Green Street Designs

The objective of this Smart & Connected Communities - Development Grants (SCC-DG) project is to support research on co-design of bike networks that are safe, connected, and aligned with local needs. Cities struggle to design bikeways that balance technical constraints, safety considerations, lived realities, and aspirations of their citizens. This project explores how advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI) bridge the gap by integrating community input directly into the design process. During the planning phase, the team builds strong partnerships with key stakeholders, assesses how generative AI can support human-centered design, and refines key research questions on balancing engineering feasibility with community values.

Infrastructure planning is driven by complex datasets of community needs, safety requirements, engineering constraints, and available funding. Current tools and methods often lack the ability to process varied information in an integrated way. The central research question guiding the planning effort is whether a generative AI-based system can effectively integrate multimodal and heterogeneous data inputs to produce bikeway designs that are technically feasible, regulation-compliant, and aligned with community priorities. Ultimately, this project contributes to advancing the responsible use of AI in participatory infrastructure design and planning.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.