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Article

TwinCity: An Urban Digital Twin Framework for Data-Scarce Environments—A Case Study of Benguerir, Morocco

1
College of Geomatic Sciences and Surveying Engineering, Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine, Rabat 10101, Morocco
2
Computational Methods Lab, Hafencity University Hamburg, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
3
CITINNOV for Integrated Territorial Planning and Smart Cities, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Campus of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University Rabat, Rabat 11103, Morocco
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Smart Cities 2026, 9(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities9020023
Submission received: 20 October 2025 / Revised: 6 January 2026 / Accepted: 7 January 2026 / Published: 26 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Collection Digital Twins for Smart Cities)

Abstract

Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) are emerging as a new paradigm in smart city strategies, enabling real-time interaction with urban environments and supporting data-driven decision-making. By expanding beyond traditional smart functions, UDTs facilitate the analysis and simulation of urban resilience and sustainability indicators within a virtual city ecosystem, addressing both immediate urban challenges and long-term planning goals. This paper introduces TwinCity, a city-scale Urban Digital Twin framework developed and validated through a case study of the Green City of Benguerir, Morocco. The framework incorporates a technical architecture based on semantic 3D city models, data integration, and simulation scenarios to analyse the solar energy potential of the rooftop, the energy consumption of the building and the morphological indicators. A user-friendly web interface was developed to visualise and interact with the UDT, ensuring its accessibility. By bridging the gap between technical challenges (such as data scarcity) and practical applications, this work offers a replicable model for cities in the Global South.
Keywords: Urban Digital Twins; semantic 3D city models; smart city; sustainability Urban Digital Twins; semantic 3D city models; smart city; sustainability

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Badreddine, O.; Radoine, H.; Hajji, R. TwinCity: An Urban Digital Twin Framework for Data-Scarce Environments—A Case Study of Benguerir, Morocco. Smart Cities 2026, 9, 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities9020023

AMA Style

Badreddine O, Radoine H, Hajji R. TwinCity: An Urban Digital Twin Framework for Data-Scarce Environments—A Case Study of Benguerir, Morocco. Smart Cities. 2026; 9(2):23. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities9020023

Chicago/Turabian Style

Badreddine, Ouzougarh, Hassan Radoine, and Rafika Hajji. 2026. "TwinCity: An Urban Digital Twin Framework for Data-Scarce Environments—A Case Study of Benguerir, Morocco" Smart Cities 9, no. 2: 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities9020023

APA Style

Badreddine, O., Radoine, H., & Hajji, R. (2026). TwinCity: An Urban Digital Twin Framework for Data-Scarce Environments—A Case Study of Benguerir, Morocco. Smart Cities, 9(2), 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities9020023

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