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A Review of Urban Digital Twins Integration, Challenges, and Future Directions in Smart City Development

Author

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  • Silvia Mazzetto

    (SALab Sustainable Architecture Lab, Department of Architecture, Prince Sultan University, Riyadh 11586, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

This review paper explores Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) and their crucial role in developing smarter cities, focusing on making urban areas more sustainable and well-planned. The methodology adopted an extensive literature review across multiple academic databases related to UDTs in smart cities, sustainability, and urban environments, conducted by a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer to identify key research trends and qualitative analysis through thematic categorization. This paper shows how UDTs can significantly change how cities are managed and planned by examining examples from cities like Singapore and Dubai. This study points out the main hurdles like gathering data, connecting systems, handling vast amounts of information, and making different technologies work together. It also sheds light on what is missing in current research, such as the need for solid rules for using UDTs effectively, better cooperation between various city systems, and a deeper look into how UDTs affect society. To address research gaps, this study highlights the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration. It also calls for establishing comprehensive models, universal standards, and comparative studies among traditional and UDT methods. Finally, it encourages industry, policymakers, and academics to join forces in realizing sustainable, smart cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Silvia Mazzetto, 2024. "A Review of Urban Digital Twins Integration, Challenges, and Future Directions in Smart City Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-33, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:19:p:8337-:d:1485608
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Aravindi Samarakkody & Dilanthi Amaratunga & Richard Haigh, 2023. "Technological Innovations for Enhancing Disaster Resilience in Smart Cities: A Comprehensive Urban Scholar’s Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-22, August.
    7. Ebrahim Hamid Hussein Al-Qadami & Zahiraniza Mustaffa & Mohamed E. Al-Atroush, 2022. "Evaluation of the Pavement Geothermal Energy Harvesting Technologies towards Sustainability and Renewable Energy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-26, February.
    8. Michaela Kollarova & Tomas Granak & Stanislava Strelcova & Jozef Ristvej, 2023. "Conceptual Model of Key Aspects of Security and Privacy Protection in a Smart City in Slovakia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, April.
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    7. Benaicha Mouhcine, 2025. "Architectural Resilience for Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 4976-5000, August.
    8. Vincenzo Barrile & Emanuela Genovese & Clemente Maesano & Sonia Calluso & Maurizio Pasquale Manti, 2025. "Developing an Urban Digital Twin for Environmental and Risk Assessment: A Case Study on Public Lighting and Hydrogeological Risk," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-24, March.
    9. Francesco Piccialli & Sara Amitrano & Donato Cerciello & Anna Borrelli & Edoardo Prezioso & Marzia Canzaniello, 2025. "A digital twin framework for urban parking management and mobility forecasting," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-20, December.
    10. Elda Cina & Ersin Elbasi & Gremina Elmazi & Zakwan AlArnaout, 2025. "The Role of AI in Predictive Modelling for Sustainable Urban Development: Challenges and Opportunities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-39, June.
    11. Haochen Yang & Nana Cui & Haishan Xia, 2025. "The Evolution of the Interaction Between Urban Rail Transit and Land Use: A CiteSpace-Based Knowledge Mapping Approach," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-29, July.
    12. Elisa Filippi & Antonello Aiello, 2024. "Barriers, Benefits, and Influential Factors of Adopting Earth Observation Satellite Data at Local and Regional Levels: The Case of the Italian LRAs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-40, December.
    13. FITSILIS, Panos & Damasiotis, Vyron & Kyriatzis, Vasileios & Tsoutsa, Paraskevi, 2025. "Emerging Smart Cities Job Profiles and Competencies: A Framework for Digital and Green Transition," SocArXiv us7p4_v1, Center for Open Science.
    14. Emad Noaime & Chaham Alalouch & Abdelhakim Mesloub & Haifa Hamdoun & Hela Gnaba & Mohammed Mashary Alnaim, 2025. "Urban Centrality as a Catalyst for City Resilience and Sustainable Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-35, June.
    15. Chen, Yuhui & Du, Longzheng & Zhang, Biao & Wang, Lin & Wang, Kejuan & Huang, Xuebin & Shi, Yujie, 2025. "The impact of artificial intelligence on the sustainability of international trade enterprises," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).

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