Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Department of Urban Planning, University of Arts, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Contemporary cities face a growing range of crises, making their smart management a vital priority. Following the rapid advancements in digital technologies, the Urban Digital Twin has emerged as a key innovation in the 21st century, considered a pivotal tool in crisis management. In this context, the aim of this research is a comprehensive investigation into the conceptual and operational capacities of the Urban Digital Twin for effectively optimizing and enhancing the crisis management cycle. The study seeks to explain how this catalytic tool intervenes in each stage of crisis management (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery) and advances smart decision-making to reduce financial and human casualties. Adopting a qualitative, interpretive approach and a deductive reasoning strategy, this research offers a deep understanding of the conceptual dimensions and complex structures of this technology within the urban context. The nature of the research is fundamental-developmental, and regarding the time dimension, it is considered a longitudinal study. The results indicate that Urban Digital Twins have profound effects in areas such as real-time data collection, predictability, strategy evaluation, and high-resolution modeling and simulation. Evidence clearly confirms that the Urban Digital Twin has evolved beyond being merely a technology to become an essential component in the smart crisis management ecosystem. This technology's capabilities in data integration, complex scenario simulation, and the provision of predictive analytics offer powerful support across all three phases of the crisis management cycle: in the preparedness phase by optimizing evacuation routes and strengthening infrastructure; at the moment of crisis by providing rapid damage assessment and an intelligent response; and in the post-crisis phase by serving as a comprehensive information platform to optimize the prevention system and increase future resilience, thereby improving the urban crisis management process.
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