Digital Twins in Regional Spatial Planning and Sustainable Urban Development
A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 22 June 2026 | Viewed by 1152
Special Issue Editors
Interests: spatial information management; spatial data infrastructures; cadastre; land management, digital twins; geoinformatics; GIS and risk management
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rapid advancement of digital technologies has transformed the way cities and regions are planned, managed, and developed. Among the most transformative innovations is the concept of Digital Twins—virtual replicas of physical assets, processes, or systems that allow for real-time data collection, simulation, and decision-making. The concept of Digital Twins has revolutionized various industries, and it is now playing an increasingly important role in regional spatial planning and sustainable urban development. In that context, it serves as a dynamic and interactive model that reflects the real-world environment of a region or a city, allowing planners, policymakers, and stakeholders to simulate, analyze, and optimize urban development and infrastructure planning in real-time.
Spatial planning is a process that involves the management of land, infrastructure, and resources within a specific area to promote sustainable and balanced development. Traditionally, this process has relied on static data and manual models, which often lack the capacity to simulate dynamic, real-world conditions. Digital Twins provide a modern alternative by creating interactive, real-time digital models that reflect the complexities of urban environments. In spatial planning, Digital Twins serve several important functions, such as real-time data integration, scenario modeling and simulation, improved collaboration and decision-making, sustainability, and resilience.
The focus of this Special Issue is to investigate the current concept of Digital Twins and how they actually support regional spatial planning and sustainable urban development. The main aim is to unite scientists and professionals in the field to present their research and ideas. This should ultimately provide new insights, understanding, and knowledge for future development.
Prof. Dr. Vlado Cetl
Dr. Darko Šiško
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- digital twin
- regional and urban planning
- sustainable urban development
- urban simulation
- 3D visualization
- decision support
- VR/AR
- real-time data
- Smart City
- spatial information management
- GIS and BIM integration
- public participation
- multi-stakeholder cooperation
- urban and regional data collection
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