Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are widely accepted as a technology offering an alternative way to tackle complex and dynamic problems in urban studies. The goal of this article is a review of current literature in the field of planning and AI. The aim of this review is to increase the understanding of how AI approaches urban and land dynamics modeling processes and how, as a result, researchers can structure that knowledge and choose the correct approaches to embed in their models. For this purpose, the authors review the applications of AI techniques in urban land dynamics domain as well as the emerging challenges they face. The authors discuss hybrid AI systems as a need resulting from the trend in planning policy to develop more holistic approaches. The authors conclude that, although challenges exist, AI-based approaches offer promising solutions for urban and land dynamics.

Health impact assessments (HIAs) provide an attractive approach for those interested in injecting health issues into planning processes. While HIAs have been mainly employed outside the United States and led by professionals from the public health field, they hold promise for addressing the important dimension of human health in planning. This article describes the history of HIAs and their relationship to other analogous tools, reviews current theory and practice of HIAs, and discusses the role of HIAs in current planning initiatives. The authors suggest it is important to modify existing HIA tools so that they are perceived by planners as a useful supplement to current planning processes rather than a burdensome additional requirement. The authors close by discussing how HIAs present distinct advantages, providing a more specific focus on the important topic of human health and a further opportunity to more closely partner with potential allies from public health and related fields.