Real-world experiments in digital urban twins

International conference: Regional Studies Association (RSA) Winter Conference, ‘Regions in Transition: Balancing Economic, Social and Environmental Priorities for Better Regional Futures‘, London, 10–11 November 2022

Digital technologies and big data play an increasingly important role in cities. They change how cities are planned, governed, and managed. Digital urban twins have become a key component of smart city initiatives and reinforce the government-platform discourse. However, implementation processes differ and aren’t well documented. As digital technologies have the potential of eliminating the complexity of ever-evolving urban systems through implementing technocratic essentialism, reinforcing inequalities, and diminishing bottom-up potential of citizen participation, a critical examination of how and by whom twins are developed, and to what end, is urgently needed – as this may be crucial for developing just and sustainable urban futures.

More information
https://www.regionalstudies.org/news/2022-rsa-winter-special-sessions/#!