Digital Twins: Shaping the Future of Municipal Engineering Planning and Management

Digital twins represent a groundbreaking convergence of real-world infrastructure and virtual simulation, acting as a powerful catalyst for enhanced efficiency, predictive maintenance, and sustainable urban development. By creating dynamic, virtual replicas of physical assets and systems, digital twins enable urban planners and engineers to simulate, analyse, and optimise city operations and infrastructure in a virtual environment before implementing changes in the real world. This synergy facilitates a more profound understanding of complex urban ecosystems, allowing for real-time monitoring, data-driven decision-making, and proactive problem-solving. The predictive capabilities inherent in digital twins extend municipal assets’ lifespan through timely maintenance and foster sustainable practices by optimising resource use and reducing environmental impact. In essence, digital twins bridge the gap between the tangible and the digital, ushering in an era of smarter, more resilient, and sustainable urban development.

This special issue aims to explore the transformative role of digital twins in municipal engineering, particularly focusing on urban planning and management. We are looking for case studies and theoretical models, highlighting the practical applications and potential challenges in integrating digital twins into municipal systems. Key aspects include real-time data analysis, public-private partnerships, and ethical considerations.

Topics that could be covered include, but are not limited to:

• Theoretical frameworks for digital twin integration in urban planning.
• Case studies on digital twin implementation in city management.
• Data analytics and AI in digital twins for municipal engineering.
• Impact of digital twins on sustainable urban development.
• Real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance using digital twins.
• Public-private partnerships in developing digital twin technologies.
• Digital twins in disaster risk management and emergency response.
• Ethical, privacy, and security aspects of digital twins in municipal engineering.
• Digital twins and citizen engagement.
• Future trends and challenges in digital twin technologies for cities.