TwinCity: An Urban Digital Twin Framework for Data-Scarce Environments—A Case Study of Benguerir, Morocco

Highlights: What are the main findings? Identification and analysis of the gap between theoretical definitions and real-world implementations of Urban Digital Twins, including technical and operational limitations. Investigation of whether an Urban Digital Twin can be developed in data-scarce environments, and exploration of mitigation strategies to enable appropriate use-case selection under limited data conditions. What is the implication of the main findings? Improved understanding of data interoperability challenges and development constraints in Urban Digital Twin systems. Guidance for adopting Urban Digital Twin solutions to address real urban challenges, even where data availability is limited. Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) are emerging as a new paradigm in smart city strategies, enabling real-time interaction with urban environments and supporting data-driven decision-making. By expanding beyond traditional smart functions, UDTs facilitate the analysis and simulation of urban resilience and sustainability indicators within a virtual city ecosystem, addressing both immediate urban challenges and long-term planning goals. This paper introduces TwinCity, a city-scale Urban Digital Twin framework developed and validated through a case study of the Green City of Benguerir, Morocco. The framework incorporates a technical architecture based on semantic 3D city models, data integration, and simulation scenarios to analyse the solar energy potential of the rooftop, the energy consumption of the building and the morphological indicators. A user-friendly web interface was developed to visualise and interact with the UDT, ensuring its accessibility. By bridging the gap between technical challenges (such as data scarcity) and practical applications, this work offers a replicable model for cities in the Global South.