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14.7
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Smart Cities
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Digital Twins for Smart Cities
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Digital Twins for Smart Cities

A topical collection in Smart Cities (ISSN 2624-6511).

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Editors

Prof. Dr. Songnian Li

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON, Canada
Interests: big geospatial data analytics; data mining and knowledge discovery; human mobility; spatio-temporal dynamics; citizen science; digital twins for smart cities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhen Chen

E-Mail Website
Collection Editor
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
Interests: facilities management; community resilience; sociotechnical systems dynamics; constructability and dependability analysis; digital twins; decision intelligence; intelligent built environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

According to both the United Nations and the World Bank Group, more than half of the global population currently lives in urban areas. Driven by the rapid growth in the rate of urbanization, cities are determined to implement advanced socio-technological changes and economic-social development inside the dynamic natural environment. Therefore, the theory and technology of Smart City are adopted to prioritize the use of advanced technologies and systems to address long-standing challenges in urban development and regeneration. As a new multidisciplinary concept, Digital Twin City or Urban Digital Twin has been introduced to the technical and managerial domains of Smart Cities, and it adopts information and communication technology (ICT) to establish a large-scale multifunctional digital module of a city in order to represent the entire built environment within an urban area over the internet. Through a systematic integration of functional modules and layers about the city, a Digital Twin City can be a useful tool to enhance professional practices on planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and governance of cities under the sustainability agenda, in addition to their services to people.

Although there are initiatives on the development and use of Digital Twin City, the theory and practice of urban digital twins are still under development. This topical collection aims to explore not only the theoretical development but also capabilities build on urban digital twins with regard to their contributions to Smart Cities, and welcomes papers to enrich the body of knowledge on digital twins for smart cities.

Prof. Dr. Songnian Li
Dr. Zhen Chen
Collection Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the collection website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Smart Cities is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • 3D modeling
  • digital twin
  • Industry 5.0
  • Internet of Things (IoT)
  • machine learning
  • sensor
  • smart city
  • unban analytics
  • urban intelligence
  • urban management
  • urban ontology
  • urban policy
  • urban simulation
  • visualization

Published Papers (4 papers)

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2025

Jump to: 2024

26 pages, 14847 KB  
Article
An Open-Source Urban Digital Twin for Enhancing Outdoor Thermal Comfort in the City of Huelva (Spain)
by Victoria Patricia Lopez-Cabeza, Marta Videras-Rodriguez and Sergio Gomez-Melgar
Smart Cities 2025, 8(5), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities8050160 - 29 Sep 2025
Abstract
Climate change and urbanization are intensifying the urban heat island effect and negatively impacting outdoor thermal comfort in cities. Innovative planning strategies are required to design more livable and resilient urban spaces. Building on a state of the art of current Urban Digital [...] Read more.
Climate change and urbanization are intensifying the urban heat island effect and negatively impacting outdoor thermal comfort in cities. Innovative planning strategies are required to design more livable and resilient urban spaces. Building on a state of the art of current Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) for outdoor thermal comfort analysis, this paper presents the design and implementation of a functional UDT prototype. Developed for a pilot area in Huelva, Spain, the system integrates real-time environmental data, spatial modeling, and simulation tools within an open-source architecture. The literature reveals that while UDTs are increasingly used in urban management, their application to outdoor thermal comfort remains limited and technically challenging, especially in terms of real-time data, modeling accuracy, and user interaction. The case study demonstrates the feasibility of a modular, open-source UDT capable of simulating mean radiant temperature and outdoor thermal comfort indexes at high resolution and visualizing the results in a 3D interactive environment. UDTs have strong potential for supporting microclimate-sensitive planning and improving outdoor thermal comfort. However, important challenges remain, particularly in simulation efficiency, model detail, and stakeholder accessibility. The proposed prototype addresses several of these gaps and provides a basis for future improvements. Full article
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24 pages, 17666 KB  
Review
What Have Urban Digital Twins Contributed to Urban Planning and Decision Making? From a Systematic Literature Review Toward a Socio-Technical Research and Development Agenda
by Shervin Azadi, Dena Kasraian, Pirouz Nourian and Pieter van Wesemael
Smart Cities 2025, 8(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities8010032 - 13 Feb 2025
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4115
Abstract
Urban digital twins (UDTs) were first discussed in 2018. Seven years later, we ask: What has been their contribution to urban planning and decision making so far? Here, we systematically review 88 peer-reviewed articles to map and compare UDTs’ ambitions with their realized [...] Read more.
Urban digital twins (UDTs) were first discussed in 2018. Seven years later, we ask: What has been their contribution to urban planning and decision making so far? Here, we systematically review 88 peer-reviewed articles to map and compare UDTs’ ambitions with their realized contributions. Our results indicate that despite the vast technical developments, socio-technical challenges have remained largely unaddressed, causing many of UDTs’ ambitions to remain unrealized. We identify three categories in these socio-technical challenges: interdisciplinary integration (II), consensual contextualization (CC), and procedural operationalization (PO). Accordingly, we consolidate a socio-technical research and development agenda to realize the ambitions of UDTs for urban planning and decision making: Augmented Urban Planning (AUP). Full article
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31 pages, 14820 KB  
Article
Digital Transformation in African Heritage Preservation: A Digital Twin Framework for a Sustainable Bab Al-Mansour in Meknes City, Morocco
by Imane Serbouti, Jérôme Chenal, Saâd Abdesslam Tazi, Ahmad Baik and Mustapha Hakdaoui
Smart Cities 2025, 8(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities8010029 - 12 Feb 2025
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2693
Abstract
The advent of digital transformation has redefined the preservation of cultural heritage and historic sites through the integration of Digital Twin technology. Initially developed for industrial applications, Digital Twins are now increasingly employed in heritage conservation as dynamic, digital replicas of physical assets [...] Read more.
The advent of digital transformation has redefined the preservation of cultural heritage and historic sites through the integration of Digital Twin technology. Initially developed for industrial applications, Digital Twins are now increasingly employed in heritage conservation as dynamic, digital replicas of physical assets and environments. These systems enable detailed, interactive approaches to documentation, management, and preservation. This paper presents a detailed framework for implementing Digital Twin technology in the management of heritage buildings. By utilizing advanced methods for data collection, processing, and analysis, the framework creates a robust data hub for Digital Twin Heritage Buildings (DTHB). This architecture enhances real-time monitoring, improves accuracy, reduces operational costs, and enables predictive maintenance while minimizing invasive inspections. Focusing on Bab Al-Mansour Gate in Meknes, Morocco, a significant cultural landmark, this research outlines the workflow for developing a Bab Al-Mansour DTHB platform. The platform monitors structural health and detects damage over time, offering a dynamic tool for conservation planning. By integrating innovative technologies with data-driven solutions, this study provides a replicable model for preserving heritage sites, addressing critical gaps in real-time monitoring, resource optimization, and environmental risk mitigation. Full article
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2024

Jump to: 2025

22 pages, 1960 KB  
Review
Digital Twin Technology in Built Environment: A Review of Applications, Capabilities and Challenges
by Yalda Mousavi, Zahra Gharineiat, Armin Agha Karimi, Kevin McDougall, Adriana Rossi and Sara Gonizzi Barsanti
Smart Cities 2024, 7(5), 2594-2615; https://doi.org/10.3390/smartcities7050101 - 10 Sep 2024
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 9589
Abstract
Digital Twin (DT) technology is a pivotal innovation within the built environment industry, facilitating digital transformation through advanced data integration and analytics. DTs have demonstrated significant benefits in building design, construction, and asset management, including optimising lifecycle energy use, enhancing operational efficiency, enabling [...] Read more.
Digital Twin (DT) technology is a pivotal innovation within the built environment industry, facilitating digital transformation through advanced data integration and analytics. DTs have demonstrated significant benefits in building design, construction, and asset management, including optimising lifecycle energy use, enhancing operational efficiency, enabling predictive maintenance, and improving user adaptability. By integrating real-time data from IoT sensors with advanced analytics, DTs provide dynamic and actionable insights for better decision-making and resource management. Despite these promising benefits, several challenges impede the widespread adoption of DT technology, such as technological integration, data consistency, organisational adaptation, and cybersecurity concerns. Addressing these challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration, standardisation of data formats, and the development of universal design and development platforms for DTs. This paper provides a comprehensive review of DT definitions, applications, capabilities, and challenges within the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries. This paper provides important insights for researchers and professionals, helping them gain a more comprehensive and detailed view of DT. The findings also demonstrate the significant impact that DTs can have on this sector, contributing to advancing DT implementations and promoting sustainable and efficient building management practices. Ultimately, DT technology is set to revolutionise the AEC industries by enabling autonomous, data-driven decision-making and optimising building operations for enhanced productivity and performance. Full article
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