Imagining climate- resilient urban spaces: Integrating AI into community consultation in Samarinda

Community consultations in urban planning often exclude participants due to language barriers, limited feedback, and technical complexity. This study explores how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance inclusivity in participatory design. The study reports an action research case in Samarinda, Indonesia, where the AI tool Midjourney was integrated into three community workshops involving residents, civil-society groups, students, and government officials. Activities combined analogue exercises with structured prompts-crafting and live image generation. The dataset included sketches, prompt fragments, and 133 AI images analysed thematically. Findings suggest that the protocol enabled broader participation across age groups, expanded the range of expressed ideas, and increased in-session legibility and responsiveness of design discussions. Midjourney contributed by accelerating visual iteration and providing shared boundary objects, while the sequenced activities and facilitation structured the feedback loop and made participant influence visible in evolving artefacts. Participants articulated priorities such as cultural identity, local materials, and flood adaptation. Despite challenges related to facilitation, translation, and potential model bias, the study indicates that generative AI can function as an “imagination engine” and boundary object within inclusive, climate-adaptive urban design processes.