The Italian-born architect imagines a world where cities aren't even built, but are continually reborn through data and design
BARCELONA, Spain — As cities around the world struggle to reinvent themselves with sensors, artificial intelligence and green infrastructure, one country stands out as a real-world laboratory for the future of urban life: South Korea.
At the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Italian architect and MIT professor Carlo Ratti told The Korea Herald why he sees Seoul as a “living test bed” for how technology, transparency and citizen participation can reshape cities.
Ratti, who directs the MIT Senseable City Lab and is co-founder of the design and innovation firm Carlo Ratti Associati, called Korea an ideal location to experiment with what he calls “learning infrastructures” – systems that sense, adapt and evolve their citizens as the country advances smart building innovations and climate-smart city strategies.
“We should stop building on greenfield sites, but we should transform what we already have,” Ratti said, drawing parallels between Korea and other aging societies such as Italy, Japan and China.
“The big challenge is to transform from our cities and readapt to a population that will not grow but most likely decline,” he added.
From concrete to “living infrastructure”
Ratti challenges the traditional notion of infrastructure as rigid and unchanging. He argues that the fusion of embedded sensors, fiber optics and digital networks is enabling a new kind of urban fabric – one that is dynamic and vibrant.
“We always think of infrastructure as something permanent, but the reality is that infrastructure can become something living today,” he said.
“Through sensors and new technologies, we can ensure that the infrastructure appears alive – not just concrete or steel.”
While the technology itself can be deployed anywhere, Ratti emphasized that scaling such a system relies heavily on governance.
“I see a lot of interest in infrastructure managed by large companies because the business model is very simple,” he noted.
“The key question is not the type of infrastructure, but who owns it and what model allows it to be effectively monitored and adjusted.”
Data in the city: trust through transparency
Since data collection is at the heart of any smart infrastructure, privacy concerns are inevitable – especially in countries like Korea where digital sensitivity is high.
“We have to be considerate and analyze privacy protocols, but if we do it right we can actually get a lot of very interesting data to understand the city without violating people's privacy,” Ratti said.
His proposed solution is radical transparency.
“The best way is to do everything you do in a transparent way, share the data and involve citizens. It's almost like a glass box,” he said. “If it’s aggregated and anonymized – then it’s fine.”
He pointed to the European General Data Protection Regulation as a model and emphasized that citizen participation and open processes are key to building public trust in data-driven cities.
Seoul, a global testing ground
Ratti spoke with particular enthusiasm about Seoul as a global case study for AI-powered urbanism. Its size, density and technology-focused culture make it, in his words, a “unique testing ground” for the development of smart cities.
“Size and speed are usually the best way to try something and see how you can further modify and improve it,” he said. “That's why I'm so excited to be part of the Seoul AI initiative. Seoul is a unique case study.”
Although urban policy may lag behind technological capabilities, Ratti argued that civic engagement can serve as a link between innovation and implementation.
“Technology advances very quickly and sometimes cities are a little slower, but if you share things with citizens, citizens could be the ones to help control the system as it evolves.”
Connecting AI with urban well-being
One of Ratti's most recent initiatives in Korea is the Nature That Heals, Seoul project, a collaboration that combines AI with urban visual analysis to examine the connection between green spaces, well-being and quality of life.
The project, part of his broader research on urban visual intelligence at MIT and Carlo Ratti Associati, uses computer vision and imagery to assess how trees, parks and other elements of urban nature contribute to citizen well-being.
“One of the things we want to do in Seoul is what we call urban visual intelligence,” he said. “You can look at trees, you can look at people, you can look at the city and then better understand how it works and how it can be improved.”
He draws his philosophical inspiration from 19th-century Barcelona planner Ildefons Cerda, who envisioned using empirical data to understand the human experience of urban life – a dream that Ratti believes is finally within reach.
“For the first time, this moment has come,” he said. “Data allows us to look at not just the physical city, but all the activities that take place within it.”
yeeun@heraldcorp.com