San Francisco’s housing warriors are trading AI-generated pictures of upzoned neighborhoods on social media, either to support or mock urbanist ideas.
Professionals Weigh In
Mark Hogan, an architect and principal at OpenScope Studio in SF, said most AI images don’t reflect what’s feasible, financially or structurally. Sarah Jones, the Director of Marin County’s Community Development Agency, noted a long history of image manipulation in environmental decision-making.
Jones warned that AI-generated images can pose more polarization, confirming existing biases. An anonymous X user posted an AI image of the Marina neighborhood as a hyperdense stretch of high-rises, which was met with enthusiasm by some YIMBYs and criticism from others.
Triggering Debate
Kat Scott, an open-source software engineer, posted AI renderings of San Francisco as a collection of Vienna-style social housing and as a proliferation of luxury five-over-ones, corporate chain stores, and AI billboards. Her goal was to trigger YIMBYs and spark debate.
Armand Domalewski, a YIMBY activist, responded with sarcastic despair over the prospect of new homes. He said it’s too early to tell how AI-generated images are changing the debate, if at all.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
