Smart Cities and Digital Twins: An Innovative Solution for Planning the Historic Center of Salvador

Smart Cities and Digital Twins: An Innovative Solution for Planning the Historic Center of Salvador Cidades Inteligentes e Gêmeos Digitais: Solução Inovadora para o Planejamento do Centro Histórico de Salvador Lucas Almeida de Souza1, Joberto S. B. Martins1 1Universidade Salvador (UNIFACS) LABCIS - Laboratório de Cidades Inteligentes e Sustentáveis Grupo de Pesquisa Cidade, Urbanismo e Urbanidades (CIDURB) Programa de Pós-graduação em Desenvolvimento Regional e Urbano (PPDRU) Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sistemas e Computação (PPGCOMP) Av. Tancredo Neves, 2131 — 41820-021 — Salvador — BA — Brasil [email protected], [email protected] 1. INTRODUCTION The accelerated and disorganized urban growth, combined with the lack of sustainable planning, has intensified environmental impacts in several cities around the world. According to Orsi (2023), urban planning is an essential tool for promoting resilient and sustainable cities. As stated by Oliveira et al. (2014), environmental sustainability aims at developing sustainable and environmentally balanced modes of resource exploitation, which are necessary to preserve what remains of environmental heritage. In Brazil, the Historic Center of Salvador, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, faces significant challenges related to environmental planning, climate change adaptation, optimization and facilitation of tourist flows, and urban heat islands—phenomena caused by the concentration of materials that absorb and retain heat, reducing thermal comfort and the population’s quality of life. This issue is particularly aggravated by the scarcity of green areas, the high density of buildings, and inadequate land use, compromising not only the environment but also the historical and cultural heritage of the region. Urban planning is an essential instrument for the rational organization of space and for promoting fairer, more sustainable, and more functional cities. According to Villaça (2001), urban planning must be understood as a political and technical process aimed at guiding the production of urban space in order to meet collective interests rather than merely responding to market demands. Urban planning plays a vital role in mitigating environmental impacts resulting from accelerated urbanization, particularly with regard to the formation of heat islands. These islands emerge from the replacement of vegetation cover with impermeable surfaces such as asphalt and concrete, which absorb and retain heat, increasing local temperatures. New approaches have been studied to optimize urban planning and minimize environmental impacts. Among them, the smart city strategy offers innovative solutions for sustainable management of urban spaces by integrating technology and governance to improve quality of life (ALBINO; BERARDI; DANGELICO, 2015) (MARTINS et al., 2024). According to Silva, Benini e Godoy (2024), the smart city strategy is based on the idea that technology can significantly enhance urban planning, making processes more JSMNet Networking and Technical Review - Vol. 26 N. 2, November 2025 2 efficient and responsive. This strategy promises to reduce waste, improve resilience, mitigate climate change, optimize mobility, and expand access to public services, among other possibilities. Digital Twins (DT) emerge as a new management tool, enabling virtual representation of the urban environment. A digital twin, in essence, accurately replicates a physical asset, process, or system, thus allowing the analysis of its data. Digital twins have the potential to support public policies and urban planning strategies ((BATTY, 2018); (OMRANY; MEHDIPOUR; OTENG, 2024)). Within this context, the following question arises: How can an innovative solution within a smart city strategy using a digital twin transform urban planning in the Historic Center of Salvador? This text is structured as follows: the first section presents a brief introduction, followed by the justification and objectives of the study. Subsequently, an introductory theoretical foundation and the proposed approach are presented, followed by the methodology. Finally, the results are highlighted and final considerations are provided. 2. JUSTIFICATION Although Salvador’s Historic Center (Pelourinho) is internationally recognized for its architectural and cultural value, the area faces a complex set of socio-environmental problems, such as physical degradation, rising average temperatures, soil impermeabilization, and a scarcity of green areas. These factors intensify urban heat islands and reduce thermal comfort, affecting both residents and tourist flows—the main economic drivers of the territory. Such issues demand integrated solutions that combine technology, governance, and sustainability. The use of a digital twin as an urban planning tool is justified by the growing urgency to rethink planning practices in light of the challenges posed by climate change and accelerated urbanization, especially in contexts of high historical and cultural relevance such as Pelourinho. Applying this tool enables the creation of more resilient urban models capable of monitoring, simulating, and predicting environmental scenarios in real time, providing strategic data to support public and private decision-making. From a scientific standpoint, this study contributes to the use of emerging technologies in urban management, which remains underexplored globally—particularly in heritage areas. From a practical perspective, it aims to offer evidence-based support for public policies and urban planning strategies that reconcile cultural preservation, environmental impact mitigation, and improvements in quality of life. 3. OBJECTIVES This study aims to evaluate how a smart city strategy using a digital twin can transform urban planning in Salvador’s Historic Center (Pelourinho). The specific objectives are outlined below: • Identify the main environmental impacts associated with unplanned urban growth, with a focus on the formation of heat islands in Pelourinho; • Analyze how urban planning can help mitigate the effects of climate change and preserve historical heritage; • Assess the potential of the smart city strategy to promote more efficient and resilient urban management; JSMNet Networking and Technical Review - Vol. 26 N. 2, November 2025 3 • Propose a digital twin model for Pelourinho aimed at monitoring and simulating urban and environmental scenarios; and • Discuss how the integration of sustainability, technology, and governance can inform public policies aimed at the revitalization of Pelourinho. 4. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION Urban planning is one of the fundamental pillars for the organization and balanced development of cities, promoting improved quality of life and socio-environmental sustainability. According to Villaça (2001), urban planning should be understood as a political and technical process aimed at structuring the territory in order to respond to the social, economic, and environmental demands of a population in constant transformation. Lefebvre e Nicholson-Smith (2017) emphasizes that the city is a social and historical construct resulting from the interactions between space, power, and everyday life; therefore, urban planning must incorporate these dynamics in order to be inclusive and sustainable. From this perspective, contemporary urban planning transcends the physical-spatial dimension and begins to integrate environmental, cultural, and technological dimensions, articulating public policies and strategies for mitigating socio-spatial inequalities (RIPP et al., 2025). In the context of historic centers, urban planning faces additional challenges related to heritage preservation, spatial revitalization, and climate change adaptation. These areas typically concentrate high building density and limited vegetation, making them more vulnerable to the formation of urban heat islands—a phenomenon that raises local temperatures and compromises thermal comfort and the vitality of public spaces. According to Romero (2007), heat islands result from the replacement of natural surfaces with impermeable materials such as concrete and asphalt, which absorb and retain heat. Monteiro (2015) reinforces that incorporating the climatic dimension into urban planning is essential for building more resilient cities. Thus, in the case of historic centers, it is necessary to combine cultural heritage conservation with the implementation of environmental and technological solutions that reduce the impacts of urban densification and promote thermal and ecological balance. Recent literature indicates that the digital transformation of cities is a promising path for addressing such challenges. According to Silva, Benini e Godoy (2024), the concept of smart cities proposes the integration of technology, governance, and sustainability through the use of sensors, interconnected systems, and algorithms to optimize urban processes and reduce environmental impacts. This approach seeks not only technical efficiency but also the promotion of social well-being, inclusion, and participatory governance. According to Grieves (2016), a digital twin consists of a virtual replica of a physical asset, system, or process, continuously updated with data collected from the real environment. For the author, this interconnection between the physical and digital spaces enables constant feedback, allowing for the anticipation of problems and the optimization of solutions. In the urban context, such a model becomes a powerful tool for sustainable planning and smart city governance. 5. PROPOSAL DEVELOPED The digital twin architecture proposed in this study for Pelourinho can be seen in Figure 1. The architecture developed is composed of layers, applications, and components. The five (5) layers of the architecture are hierarchical and interact with one another to JSMNet Networking and Technical Review - Vol. 26 N. 2, November 2025 4 Figura 1. Digital Twin Architecture for the Historic Center of Salvador (Pelourinho) (AuthorS (2025)) represent, monitor, and optimize the physical environment. Each layer supports its own local applications, and each application highlights the components involved. The physical layer (1) represents the real world, including physical assets (buildings, urban infrastructure, equipment, vehicles, people, among others). It is where real-time interaction occurs between the physical environment and its digital representation or model. The data layer (2) is responsible for collecting, storing, integrating, and processing data originating from the physical layer. It involves data exchange, spatial database systems, and mechanisms for temporal and geospatial synchronization. The modeling and simulation layer (3) constructs the virtual model (2D, 3D, or semantic) that replicates the physical environment of Pelourinho. This layer includes photogrammetry models, GIS (Geographic Information System), BIM (Building Information Modeling), and predictive simulations such as heat-dispersion models or urban-flow simulations. The intelligence and analytics layer (4) applies artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to Pelourinho’s data to identify patterns and predict the behavior of the urban system. It is essential for predictive simulations, intelligent alerts, optimization processes of various types, and decision-making. The application and visualization layer (5) enables public managers, urban planners, and researchers to work with the collected and processed data and their indicators, to test— for example—public policies and urban intervention strategies, and to monitor the outcomes of such actions. The proposed digital twin architecture is a strategy for creating more efficient urban models that are particularly important for areas of historical and cultural significance, where interventions require careful analysis of their impacts. The Pelourinho digital twin enables the development of evidence-based urban strategies, reducing uncertainties and strengthening urban planning. 6. METODOLOGY The research adopts a qualitative and quantitative approach, using urban modeling techniques, environmental analysis, and computational simulations to understand the relati- JSMNet Networking and Technical Review - Vol. 26 N. 2, November 2025 5 onship between urban heat islands and climate resilience in the sustainable planning of Salvador’s Historic Center. The study will be exploratory and descriptive, seeking to understand how smart cities and digital twins can be applied to mitigate heat islands. Additionally, a case study focused on the Historic Center of Salvador will be conducted, analyzing the environmental and structural conditions of the area. In this context, the research will be applied in nature, aiming to develop sustainable solutions for urban planning. The methodological procedures will involve a bibliographic and documentary review, including literature on environmental sustainability, heat islands, smart cities, and digital twins. Furthermore, an analysis of public policies and urban guidelines for historic and sustainable cities will be carried out. Regarding data collection, environmental and climatic data will be gathered or identified to measure surface temperatures and air quality in the historic center. Remote sensing and satellite imagery will also be used to identify thermal patterns and urban vegetation. Interviews and questionnaires with urban managers, specialists, and local residents about the impacts of heat islands and potential mitigation strategies will likewise be employed. 7. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS The results of the Pelourinho digital twin highlight the transformative potential of smart city strategies combined with the use of digital twins in the context of urban planning for Salvador’s Historic Center. The implementation of this strategy enables the development of a digital model capable of accurately representing the urban environment, allowing analyses that support more sustainable and efficient decisions in territorial and environmental management. The Pelourinho digital twin provides deeper insights into the region’s urban thermal behavior, especially in areas most affected by heat islands. Through data collection and processing, for example, patterns related to temperature, building density, pedestrian flows, and vegetation cover can be identified, enabling the mapping of critical zones and guiding interventions aimed at reducing environmental impacts. Such information contributes to improving public policies related to mobility, land use, and environmental preservation. The expectation is that the final results will demonstrate the feasibility of using digital twins in urban planning, highlighting how they can support smarter, more participatory, and evidence-based urban governance. The Pelourinho digital twin is expected to demonstrate the possibility of simulating different intervention scenarios—such as increasing green areas, adopting sustainable materials, or redirecting tourist flows—and assessing, in advance, their effects on the microclimate and on the balance between urban use and heritage preservation. From an environmental standpoint, the Pelourinho digital twin is projected to enable the evaluation of solutions capable of significantly reducing heat-island effects, contributing to increased thermal comfort and improved quality of life for both residents and visitors. Additionally, environmental data analysis is expected to allow continuous monitoring of climatic and urban indicators, making the planning process more dynamic and adaptive to local changes. From a social and economic perspective, the expected results include improved tourist attractiveness, strengthened creative economy activities, and enhanced cultural JSMNet Networking and Technical Review - Vol. 26 N. 2, November 2025 6 identity in Pelourinho by aligning heritage conservation with sustainable and innovative practices. From a scientific perspective, this study contributes to consolidating the use of digital twins as a tool to support sustainable urban planning, especially in areas of historical and cultural relevance. The expectation is that the model developed will serve as a replicable proof of concept, adaptable to other historic centers and to Brazilian or international cities with similar characteristics. 8. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS The research addresses the challenge of climate impacts and urban heat islands in Salvador’s Historic Center through the application of emerging digital technologies such as digital twins, combined with smart city principles, aiming to build a viable and strategic alternative that reconciles heritage preservation, sustainability, and technological innovation. The focus is on future-oriented urban planning grounded in data and intelligent analytics, enabling more accurate and effective decision-making. The study contributes both to the theoretical advancement of urban environmental management and to the development of public policies aimed at climate resilience and smart governance. The adoption of these solutions in Salvador’s Historic Center represents a replicable model for other Brazilian cities, promoting a digital, sustainable, and inclusive approach to urbanism aligned with the challenges of the twenty-first century. 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