Geodesign, Urban Digital Twins, and Futures

Geodesign, Urban Digital Twins, and Futures explores systems, processes, and novel technologies for planning, mapping, and designing our built environment. In a period of advancing urban infrastructure, technological autonomy in cities, and high-performance geographic systems, new capabilities, novel techniques, and streamlined procedures have emerged concurrently with climatic challenges, pandemics, and increasing global urbanisation. Chapters cover a range of topics such as urban digital twins, GeoBIM, geodesign and collaborative tools, immersive environments, gamification, and future methods. This book features over 100 international projects and workflows, five detailed case studies, and a companion website. In addition, this book examines geodesign as an agent for collaboration alongside futuring methods for imagining and understanding our future world.

The companion website for this book can be accessed at http://geodesigndigitaltwins.com.

"Ever since computers were invented, designers have been energised to use them to create more liveable and sustainable cities. But only recently have new methods emerged to help us think about this future. This book introduces those at the cutting edge: new visualisations, information management, digital twins, and geodesign, all mediated in environments where participation is central and essential. This is a book for all those who believe that contemporary computing is essential to the future of urban planning, and that must be all of us."

Michael Batty, Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, UK

"This book provides a rich academic resource for understanding digital twins and geodesign and the amazing benefits they bring when used together. Many cities are already leveraging living urban digital twins to improve their day-to-day operations. Digital twin implementations are just beginning and are increasingly being used in cities of all sizes. It is my belief that the integration of geodesign is increasingly necessary, using the power of geography to integrate information, and allowing planners, designers, and citizens to participate. This book provides powerful examples and references for how digital twins, along with geodesign, help us to understand, model, and design a better future."

Jack Dangermond, President and Founder, Esri, USA