Connected Urban Twins is one of 73 model projects selected under the German Federal Government's Smart Cities funding programme. The project brings together the cities of Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich to develop interconnected urban digital twins that support sustainable urban planning, citizen participation, and cross-departmental city management.
Each partner city builds its own digital twin platform while developing shared standards, interfaces, and data models that enable interoperability between the three systems. Munich's contribution focuses on integrating building data, energy systems, and urban development scenarios into a unified digital planning environment, building on the city's existing expertise in geospatial data and 3D city modelling.
The project explores how digital twins can serve not only as technical planning tools for city administrations but also as communication platforms that make complex urban development processes visible and understandable for citizens. Interactive visualisations allow residents to explore proposed changes to their neighbourhoods and contribute their own perspectives through digital participation tools.
Connected Urban Twins addresses key challenges in smart city development including data governance, cross-departmental data sharing, and the integration of diverse municipal data sources into coherent urban models. The project's emphasis on developing transferable standards and open-source components ensures that smaller German cities can benefit from the knowledge generated.