What is the potential of Urban Digital Twins (UDT) to enhance citizen participation in urban development in Rotterdam? A critical evaluation of the UDT pilot project for the redevelopment of the Slotboomplein in Oud-Charlois has won the Rotterdam Thesis Award 2024.
In his thesis for the master's program in Urban Issues and Policy, Arthur De Jaeger identifies various obstacles that hindered residents and participants from fully participating. Nevertheless, opportunities are also highlighted that can be utilized in further implementation of the UDT. The prize will be awarded during the Opening Academic Year by Faouzi Achbar, alderman for Welfare, Social Affairs, Sports, and Digital Inclusion.
The central question of the research was how an ‘Urban Digital Twin’ can actively involve citizens in urban planning, policymaking, decision-making, and management processes. An Urban Digital Twin is a digital replica of a city and environment. The model contains data about infrastructure, buildings, and allows for the development of simulations and models of cities using data.
Inclusivity and transparency in UDTs
For his thesis, De Jaeger conducted a critical evaluation of an Urban Digital Twins (UDT) project for the redevelopment of the Slotboomplein in Oud-Charlois, Rotterdam South. The results revealed obstacles that hindered effective citizen engagement, such as limited digital skills, distrust, and communication challenges between the municipality and its residents.
By focusing on inclusivity and transparency, this study fills a gap in the existing literature on UDTs by encouraging a shift from a technical to a socio-political analysis. Given the upcoming legal requirements, such as the Environmental Act, and the irreversible developments of UDT implementations in Rotterdam, it is essential to understand the socio-technical challenges and promote citizen engagement in this context. The results and analyses of the thesis have been presented to the Digital City program of the Municipality of Rotterdam, for which guidelines have been developed for urban planners and UDT developers.
From the jury report:
The thesis is current and policy-relevant for Rotterdam because the outcomes of the critical approach help municipal officials make improvements in the use of, for example, Digital Twins in citizen participation projects in public spaces. The research is also scientifically useful and is well-written.
Photo: Michelle Muus
Centre for BOLD Cities
The thesis "Towards a Right to the Smart City? Citizen Participation in Rotterdam’s Urban Digital Twin" was written by Arthur De Jaeger, for the master's program in Urban Issues and Policy, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB) under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Swerts.
The research is also part of the Leiden Delft Erasmus (LDE) Centre BOLD Cities Team Science project TWIRL (digital TWIns as Regimes of visibiLity). This project examines the inclusivity of UDT developments for the diversity of people, experiences, and politics in the city, with the aim of promoting more inclusive and representative practices in current UDT designs. Dr. Thomas Swerts, (coordinator TWIRL in Rotterdam): “Arthur’s thesis makes a significant contribution to the broader project because his research simultaneously shows the potential and possible limitations of UDT technology as a way to involve Rotterdam citizens in urban development processes.”
Arthur De Jaeger, after graduating, has started working as an LDE trainee and will begin as project coordinator at BOLD Cities on September 2. Here he wants to further contribute to the interest in socio-technical driven research on smart city developments.