An increasing number of municipalities are adopting urban digital twins (UDTs) to improve urban management. Although the models differ widely, municipalities face similar challenges in their implementation. Therefore, sharing insights on UDTs provides an opportunity for collective growth. To facilitate this growth, the present exploratory study maps the characteristics, challenges, and potentials of 99 UDTs in Europe, North America, and Asia. We first estimate the UDT readiness based on established features, along with contextual and local authority involvement indicators. Next, we conduct semi-structured interviews with key individuals from eight selected cities to contextualize the review findings. The mapping results indicate that most UDTs in our sample operate at the municipal level, and that over half (57%) are not in series operation. The reviewed UDTs are mid-level in maturity, and local authority involvement is a key driver of scalability. We infer that UDT progress depends as much on common frameworks, organizational readiness, governance capacity, and relevant data as on technology. Collaborations with private companies and researchers can play a central role in the long-term sustainment and growth of UDT infrastructures.
Hiller et al. (2026) studied this question.