Algae City: AI-Generated Urban Identity and the Computational Reconfiguration of Coastal Waste

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Algae City: AI-Generated Urban Identity and the Computational Reconfiguration of Coastal Waste

Haoyi Chen ¹ , Yiqun Wang ^{1,2 ,*}

1 . Department of Urban Design and Land Use Planning, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
2 . Laboratory of Landscape Development (LAND), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland

* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Published in Coastal Human Settlements ( Volume 2, Issue 4 )

Received: 27 February 2025 Accepted: 01 May 2025 Published: 22 July 2025

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Abstract

This study presents Algae City of Qingdao, an AI-driven urban framework that transforms Ulva algae from waste into a regenerative material intelligence system. Unlike Qingdao’s linear disposal model, which disregards algae’s bio-computational potential, this research leverages generative AI to integrate algae into bio-digital infrastructures, adaptive urban morphologies, and participatory design interfaces. Moving beyond industrial repurposing or cultural reframing, Algae City functions as a self-evolving urban identity, continuously recalibrated through environmental and social interactions. By embedding AI as an active agent in branding and spatial formation, this study redefines waste, material agency, and urban metabolism, positioning computation as the catalyst for a new synthetic ecology in intelligent city design.

Published in	Coastal Human Settlements (Volume 2, Issue 4)
DOI	registering/vdggs
Page(s)	1-19
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Open Access Press

Keywords

Algae City, Algae Blooming, AI Urbanism, Circular design, Generative Design

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APA Style

Chen, H. H. , Wang, Y. Y. (2024). Algae City: AI-Generated Urban Identity and the Computational Reconfiguration of Coastal Waste. Coastal Human Settlements, 2, (4), 1-19. https://doi.org/registering/vdggs

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ACS Style

Chen, H. ; Wang, Y. Algae City: AI-Generated Urban Identity and the Computational Reconfiguration of Coastal Waste. Mach. Learn. Res. (2024), 2, (4), 1-19. doi: https://doi.org/registering/vdggs

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AMA Style

Chen , Wang . Algae City: AI-Generated Urban Identity and the Computational Reconfiguration of Coastal Waste. Mach Learn Res. (2024);2(4):1-19. doi: https://doi.org/registering/vdggs

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References

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2. Benyus, J. M. Biomimicry: Innovation inspired by nature; Morrow: New York, 1997.
3. Carpo, M. The Second Digital Turn: Design Beyond Intelligence; MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, 2017.