From performative to predictive-performative design: A review of current trends in performance-based design and their impact on urbanism

Abstract

In recent years, the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought about a new paradigm shift in performance-based design, which we will call Predictive-Performative Design (PPD). This paper presents an overview of this new paradigm, as well as the inflection point at which interest among urban designers in this type of model began to emerge, resulting in what we will call Predictive-Performative Urban Design (PPUD). Our discussion of Predictive-Performative Urban Design (PPUD) is based on an extensive literature review and observation of experiences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Vienna. Finally, this paper examines how this new paradigm shift in performance-based design can change contemporary urban design and planning practices. We also identify research questions for future development in this field.