Digital Twin or Digital Kin: Misunderstandings and Myths about Urban Simulation, and Directions for Change

Abstract

Using three case studies from the United States and Australia, this article explores the conditions required to make urban digital twin projects successful, considering a traditional urban digital twins (UDT) project and National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded 3D gaming digital twins in New York and a large-scale federated UDT platform in New South Wales (NSW) Australia. The authors argue that questions around interoperability and profit and tensions with democratic deliberation and socially beneficial outcomes necessitate best-practice “digital kin” models. These models are inclusive of different urban realities and diverse communities, as well as more closely integrated across platforms locations for use in participatory planning to advance social equity outcomes.

Article Citation

Payne, W. B., Fraser, E., & Wilmott, C. (2025). Digital Twin or Digital Kin: Misunderstandings and Myths about Urban Simulation, and Directions for Change. Journal of Planning Education and Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/0739456X251360632