This Artificial Intelligence Bot is Designing Better Streets Than Some Engineers

A New York City-based artist is rapidly transforming U.S. streets into walkable paradises with the help of artificial intelligence, and breaking through Americans’ willful inability to imagine how their communities could be designed around people instead of automobiles.

Since launching a mere seven days ago, Twitter account @betterstreetsai has gone viral with its quick-and-dirty renderings of how auto-centric roads might be transformed into picturesque pedestrian plazas, generous cycletracks, and more, all made in minutes with the help of the artificial intelligence-powered illustrator DALL-E-2 — and yes, the account takes requests.

Here’s one Streetsblog requested of Highway 19 in Pasco County, Florida, which holds the dishonor of being the single most deadly street in America for pedestrians — but could become an epic light rail corridor flanked by affordable housing and shared use paths, after a few edits.

Still, Katz says that even the most rudimentary illustrations can help people imagine what’s possible for their places — and without them, it can be hard to make the case for real-life changes to concrete-laden landscapes that seem like they’re they to stay. And since, as he rightly points out, “not everyone’s on Twitter,” he hopes people will print out renderings like his and post them on the dangerous roads such designs might replace.

“Ultimately, change is only possible if you can imagine it,” Katz said. “These images help us imagine what the streets could look like.”