AI for Enhancing Spatial Thinking in South African Urban Planning Education

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Saturday 1:45 pm
  In Poster Session: Learning in Context: Cognitive, Motivational, and Technological Pathways Across Diverse Educational Landscapes

Abstract

This conceptual paper examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can support map literacy and spatial cognition among undergraduate urban planning students in South Africa. Drawing on spatial cognition theory and cognitive load theory, we explore how AI tools such as adaptive GIS platforms, AI-driven visualizations, and intelligent tutoring systems can address persistent learning barriers in interpreting aerial imagery, contour analysis, and geospatial data. The paper highlights how AI enables multimodal spatial engagement, scaffolds cognitive processing, and promotes equitable learning. It also raises ethical concerns around access, algorithmic bias, and contextual implementation in the Global South. Findings propose a framework for ethically grounded, theoretically informed integration of AI into planning curricula. The study contributes to rethinking digital pedagogy in spatial disciplines.

Authors

• Desiree Nosipho Cele, University at Buffalo - SUNY

• Blessed Aspinas Mhungu, University at Buffalo - SUNY