Current approaches to smart cities have focused on implementing technologies to harvest and analyse data through sensors and artificial intelligence to improve urban performance from the top-down. However, cities are complex systems of interconnected layers that change at different speeds. More persistent layers, like networks and occupation, must have smartness embedded in them through smarter design processes. In recent years, there has been an increase in digital tools for urban design, applying computational design methods and data analytics strategies, enabling collaborative and evidence-based approaches that support sustainable urban design. A critical evaluation of their potential to inform design is necessary to aid practitioners to choose and adopt these novel strategies and tools in practice. This paper presents a critical review of selected data-driven design cloud platforms, focusing on data-driven urban design approaches that can enable the use of ICTs to steer cities into a smarter future from the bottom-up.
Keywords Smart Cities; Data-Driven Urban Design; Computational Design.