Digital twins in safe, sustainable, and inclusive urban planning – using digital tools to empower resident engagement

Abstract

Smart city development has recently been criticised for being too technology-centric instead of people-centric. In urban planning, the poor management of technology integration can lead to inadequate decisions and erode public trust in technological development. This study investigates how digital twins with citizen engagement could enhance specific urban planning goals of sustainability and safety in a qualitative study based on grounded theory approach. The main contribution is new knowledge on how to deploy digital twins with citizen engagement to enrich safe and sustainable urban planning, along with recommendations for stakeholders on the utilisation of digital twins.