Imaginary Maps – a Posthuman Urban Design Method based on Neural Style Transfer 

  • Authors: Matias del Campo, Sandra Manninger
  • Publication: Utopia vs the City (2020)
Results of 2D to 2D Style transfers based on Nolli plans and an image of the Moon: aspects of Estrangement and Defamiliarization profoundly speak in those results about a design ecology in a Posthuman era.

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate and interrogate a design technique based on deep learning. The discussion includes aspects of machine learning, 2D to 2D style transfers, and generative adversarial processes. The paper examines the meaning of agency in a world where decision-making processes are defined by human/machine collaborations and their relationship to aspects of a Posthuman design ecology. Taking cues from the language used by experts in AI such as Hallucinations, Dreaming, Style Transfer, and Vision, the paper strives to clarify the position and role of Artificial Intelligence in the discipline of urban design.

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