Ulrich's current work (2024 and 2025)
Currently, one focus of my work is related to the International Society of City and Regional Planners and a second is on the the emerging subject of Artificial Intelligence and Urban Planning
I am a seasoned policy analyst, program manager, and dynamic team leader with over 30 years of experience driving success for public and private institutions at local, national, and international levels. I excel in analyzing critical issues such as the UN sustainability agenda, artificial intelligence, and global, national, and local governance. My own blog, World and City, offers since 2021 inspiring thought leadership on policy frameworks for sustainable cities and regions. As Chair of the Scientific Committee for the International Society of City and Regional Planners and as an International Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK), I deliver deep expertise and innovative insights. Based on his decades of multi sector and multi level work his advisory work is flexible, innovative and creative.
My career launched during Germany's reunification in 1989, where I was instrumental in establishing new institutions in Dresden and Saxony. Later I guided the EU, national, and regional governments through the complexities of EU eastern enlargement. As a United Nations envoy, I have advised governments worldwide on effective policy development and implementation. Since 2014, I have been an independent consultant, lending his expertise to over 50 countries. Currently based in Berlin, Germany, I have also completed multi-year assignments in New York and Nairobi." With openness and curiosity as important drivers I keep exploring and offer advisory services related to new challenges and opportunities for humans and their cooperation.
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Official website of the Congress: https://riyadh2025.isocarp.org/index.php
General Rapporteurs of the Congress: Dr Ulrich Graute (Berlin) and Dr Nadine Bithar Chahine (Dubai/Riyadh)
Track Rapporteurs for the five Thematic Tracks of the Congress
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its interface with Society, Governance, Advocacy and Capacity Building
We need wisely-governed AI to increase the much needed problem-solving capacity in our complex world
Tech companies like the American companies Microsoft, Google, Meta, and AI or the Chinese companies Huawei, Tencent, and Meituan are currently developing enormous amounts of computing power, data sets and algorithms. Their aim is to develop Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) which would be human like or even become superhuman intelligence. Popular online network platforms like Google, Facebook or TikTok are increasingly AI-enabled to allow servicing billions of visitors. Health, education, economy but also security are only some fields where AI is becoming more and more important. AI is set to gain impact on all spheres of life. That's what most Big Tech companies and AI developers keep telling us. And not a few of them including Eric Schmidt or Stuart Russell keep warning that the society, ie. the different societies of the world with their cultural, social and economic diversity are not prepared for the already arriving wave of AI-related innovations.
Just to take one example, what does it mean for the next generation when they are confronted with machines that are as intelligent or even more intelligent then them? And these machines are learning machines, ie they are equipped with self-correction mechanisms assuring that they keep learning. An what would it mean for progress and social cohesion if developments increasingly depend on proposals coming from AI Applications? And if innovations by AI would destroy more jobs as it would generate, how could and would this disruption be balanced by governments and society to leave no one behind?
Obviously, if AI will impact all spheres of life it will need not only the expertise of IT experts and AI developers but an all-of-the-society and government engagement to allow exploring the full potential of AI while preventing or mitigating its negative impacts. If this can be achieved, the age of AI could generate unprecedented progress for the world. I am trying to put my penny into the jar and want to invest my 30+ years of international experience in governance and development in cities, countries and at the international level to support Dialogue, Research, Capacity Building and Advocacy for a wise-use of AI.
My related activities included but were not limited in 2024 to these:
- I produced in spring 2024 in my function as international Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK) a Policy Briefing on AI in urban planning: risks and opportunities;
- This was followed by a very successful ISOCARP Cyber Agora (webinar) on AI in Planning which I co-curated as Chair of the Scientific Committee together with the ISOCARP's Board and SciCom Member Tijana Tufek-Memisevic;
- After that I prepared together with Sunil Dubey (Sydney) an Urban Conversation at the 60th World Planing Congress of ISOCARP in Siena, Italy , 8-12 October 2024. As part of the Conversation I m on the same subject where I moderated a high level panel.
For details, please see below.
For possible joint activities on 2025 and beyond please contact me.
AI is a fast developing new field. This is requires that I am continuously learning including, read extensively, discuss developments with colleagues, at conferences and workshops and by completing certified classes as the above examples of NVIDIA; World Bank and UNOPS demonstrate.
