Sma Ci ies and Digi al Twins: An Inno a i e Solu ion o
Planning he His o ic Cen e o Sal ado
Cidades In eligen es e Gêmeos Digi ais: Solução Ino ado a pa a o Planejamen o do Cen o
His ó ico de Sal ado
Lucas Almeida de Souza1, Jobe o S. B. Ma ins1
1Uni e sidade Sal ado (UNIFACS)
LABCIS - Labo a ó io de Cidades In eligen es e Sus en á eis
G upo de Pesquisa Cidade, U banismo e U banidades (CIDURB)
P og ama de Pós-g aduação em Desen ol imen o Regional e U bano (PPDRU)
P og ama de Pós-G aduação em Sis emas e Compu ação (PPGCOMP)
A . Tanc edo Ne es, 2131 — 41820-021 — Sal ado — BA — B asil
[email p o ec ed], [email p o ec ed]
1. INTRODUCTION
The accele a ed and diso ganized u ban g ow h, combined wi h he lack o sus ainable
planning, has in ensi ied en i onmen al impac s in se e al ci ies a ound he wo ld. Ac-
co ding o O si (2023), u ban planning is an essen ial ool o p omo ing esilien and
sus ainable ci ies. As s a ed by Oli ei a e al. (2014), en i onmen al sus ainabili y aims
a de eloping sus ainable and en i onmen ally balanced modes o esou ce exploi a ion,
which a e necessa y o p ese e wha emains o en i onmen al he i age.
In B azil, he His o ic Cen e o Sal ado , ecognized as a UNESCO Wo ld He i-
age Si e, aces signi ican challenges ela ed o en i onmen al planning, clima e change
adap a ion, op imiza ion and acili a ion o ou is lows, and u ban hea islands—phenomena
caused by he concen a ion o ma e ials ha abso b and e ain hea , educing he mal
com o and he popula ion’s quali y o li e. This issue is pa icula ly agg a a ed by he
sca ci y o g een a eas, he high densi y o buildings, and inadequa e land use, comp o-
mising no only he en i onmen bu also he his o ical and cul u al he i age o he egion.
U ban planning is an essen ial ins umen o he a ional o ganiza ion o space and
o p omo ing ai e , mo e sus ainable, and mo e unc ional ci ies. Acco ding o Villaça
(2001), u ban planning mus be unde s ood as a poli ical and echnical p ocess aimed a
guiding he p oduc ion o u ban space in o de o mee collec i e in e es s a he han
me ely esponding o ma ke demands. U ban planning plays a i al ole in mi iga ing
en i onmen al impac s esul ing om accele a ed u baniza ion, pa icula ly wi h ega d
o he o ma ion o hea islands. These islands eme ge om he eplacemen o ege a ion
co e wi h impe meable su aces such as asphal and conc e e, which abso b and e ain
hea , inc easing local empe a u es.
New app oaches ha e been s udied o op imize u ban planning and minimize en-
i onmen al impac s. Among hem, he sma ci y s a egy o e s inno a i e solu ions
o sus ainable managemen o u ban spaces by in eg a ing echnology and go e nance o
imp o e quali y o li e (ALBINO; BERARDI; DANGELICO, 2015) (MARTINS e al.,
2024).
Acco ding o Sil a, Benini e Godoy (2024), he sma ci y s a egy is based on he
idea ha echnology can signi ican ly enhance u ban planning, making p ocesses mo e
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e icien and esponsi e. This s a egy p omises o educe was e, imp o e esilience, mi-
iga e clima e change, op imize mobili y, and expand access o public se ices, among
o he possibili ies.
Digi al Twins (DT) eme ge as a new managemen ool, enabling i ual ep esen-
a ion o he u ban en i onmen . A digi al win, in essence, accu a ely eplica es a phy-
sical asse , p ocess, o sys em, hus allowing he analysis o i s da a. Digi al wins ha e
he po en ial o suppo public policies and u ban planning s a egies ((BATTY, 2018);
(OMRANY; MEHDIPOUR; OTENG, 2024)).
Wi hin his con ex , he ollowing ques ion a ises:
How can an inno a i e solu ion wi hin a sma ci y s a egy using a digi al
win ans o m u ban planning in he His o ic Cen e o Sal ado ?
This ex is s uc u ed as ollows: he i s sec ion p esen s a b ie in oduc ion,
ollowed by he jus i ica ion and objec i es o he s udy. Subsequen ly, an in oduc o y
heo e ical ounda ion and he p oposed app oach a e p esen ed, ollowed by he me ho-
dology. Finally, he esul s a e highligh ed and inal conside a ions a e p o ided.
2. JUSTIFICATION
Al hough Sal ado ’s His o ic Cen e (Pelou inho) is in e na ionally ecognized o i s a -
chi ec u al and cul u al alue, he a ea aces a complex se o socio-en i onmen al p o-
blems, such as physical deg ada ion, ising a e age empe a u es, soil impe meabiliza-
ion, and a sca ci y o g een a eas. These ac o s in ensi y u ban hea islands and educe
he mal com o , a ec ing bo h esiden s and ou is lows— he main economic d i e s
o he e i o y. Such issues demand in eg a ed solu ions ha combine echnology, go e -
nance, and sus ainabili y.
The use o a digi al win as an u ban planning ool is jus i ied by he g owing u -
gency o e hink planning p ac ices in ligh o he challenges posed by clima e change and
accele a ed u baniza ion, especially in con ex s o high his o ical and cul u al ele ance
such as Pelou inho. Applying his ool enables he c ea ion o mo e esilien u ban models
capable o moni o ing, simula ing, and p edic ing en i onmen al scena ios in eal ime,
p o iding s a egic da a o suppo public and p i a e decision-making.
F om a scien i ic s andpoin , his s udy con ibu es o he use o eme ging ech-
nologies in u ban managemen , which emains unde explo ed globally—pa icula ly in
he i age a eas. F om a p ac ical pe spec i e, i aims o o e e idence-based suppo o
public policies and u ban planning s a egies ha econcile cul u al p ese a ion, en i on-
men al impac mi iga ion, and imp o emen s in quali y o li e.
3. OBJECTIVES
This s udy aims o e alua e how a sma ci y s a egy using a digi al win can ans o m
u ban planning in Sal ado ’s His o ic Cen e (Pelou inho).
The speci ic objec i es a e ou lined below:
• Iden i y he main en i onmen al impac s associa ed wi h unplanned u ban g ow h,
wi h a ocus on he o ma ion o hea islands in Pelou inho;
• Analyze how u ban planning can help mi iga e he e ec s o clima e change and
p ese e his o ical he i age;
• Assess he po en ial o he sma ci y s a egy o p omo e mo e e icien and esi-
lien u ban managemen ;
JSMNe Ne wo king and Technical Re iew - Vol. 26 N. 2, No embe 2025 3
• P opose a digi al win model o Pelou inho aimed a moni o ing and simula ing
u ban and en i onmen al scena ios; and
• Discuss how he in eg a ion o sus ainabili y, echnology, and go e nance can in-
o m public policies aimed a he e i aliza ion o Pelou inho.
4. THEORETICAL FOUNDATION
U ban planning is one o he undamen al pilla s o he o ganiza ion and balanced de e-
lopmen o ci ies, p omo ing imp o ed quali y o li e and socio-en i onmen al sus aina-
bili y. Acco ding o Villaça (2001), u ban planning should be unde s ood as a poli ical
and echnical p ocess aimed a s uc u ing he e i o y in o de o espond o he social,
economic, and en i onmen al demands o a popula ion in cons an ans o ma ion. Le eb-
e e Nicholson-Smi h (2017) emphasizes ha he ci y is a social and his o ical cons uc
esul ing om he in e ac ions be ween space, powe , and e e yday li e; he e o e, u ban
planning mus inco po a e hese dynamics in o de o be inclusi e and sus ainable. F om
his pe spec i e, con empo a y u ban planning anscends he physical-spa ial dimension
and begins o in eg a e en i onmen al, cul u al, and echnological dimensions, a icula-
ing public policies and s a egies o mi iga ing socio-spa ial inequali ies (RIPP e al.,
2025).
In he con ex o his o ic cen e s, u ban planning aces addi ional challenges ela-
ed o he i age p ese a ion, spa ial e i aliza ion, and clima e change adap a ion. These
a eas ypically concen a e high building densi y and limi ed ege a ion, making hem
mo e ulne able o he o ma ion o u ban hea islands—a phenomenon ha aises local
empe a u es and comp omises he mal com o and he i ali y o public spaces. Acco -
ding o Rome o (2007), hea islands esul om he eplacemen o na u al su aces wi h
impe meable ma e ials such as conc e e and asphal , which abso b and e ain hea . Mon-
ei o (2015) ein o ces ha inco po a ing he clima ic dimension in o u ban planning is
essen ial o building mo e esilien ci ies. Thus, in he case o his o ic cen e s, i is neces-
sa y o combine cul u al he i age conse a ion wi h he implemen a ion o en i onmen al
and echnological solu ions ha educe he impac s o u ban densi ica ion and p omo e
he mal and ecological balance.
Recen li e a u e indica es ha he digi al ans o ma ion o ci ies is a p omising
pa h o add essing such challenges. Acco ding o Sil a, Benini e Godoy (2024), he
concep o sma ci ies p oposes he in eg a ion o echnology, go e nance, and sus ai-
nabili y h ough he use o senso s, in e connec ed sys ems, and algo i hms o op imize
u ban p ocesses and educe en i onmen al impac s. This app oach seeks no only ech-
nical e iciency bu also he p omo ion o social well-being, inclusion, and pa icipa o y
go e nance.
Acco ding o G ie es (2016), a digi al win consis s o a i ual eplica o a phy-
sical asse , sys em, o p ocess, con inuously upda ed wi h da a collec ed om he eal
en i onmen . Fo he au ho , his in e connec ion be ween he physical and digi al spaces
enables cons an eedback, allowing o he an icipa ion o p oblems and he op imiza ion
o solu ions. In he u ban con ex , such a model becomes a powe ul ool o sus ainable
planning and sma ci y go e nance.
5. PROPOSAL DEVELOPED
The digi al win a chi ec u e p oposed in his s udy o Pelou inho can be seen in Figu e
1.
The a chi ec u e de eloped is composed o laye s, applica ions, and componen s.
The i e (5) laye s o he a chi ec u e a e hie a chical and in e ac wi h one ano he o
JSMNe Ne wo king and Technical Re iew - Vol. 26 N. 2, No embe 2025 4
Figu a 1. Digi al Twin A chi ec u e o he His o ic Cen e o Sal ado (Pelou i-
nho) (Au ho S (2025))
ep esen , moni o , and op imize he physical en i onmen . Each laye suppo s i s own
local applica ions, and each applica ion highligh s he componen s in ol ed. The physical
laye (1) ep esen s he eal wo ld, including physical asse s (buildings, u ban in as uc-
u e, equipmen , ehicles, people, among o he s). I is whe e eal- ime in e ac ion occu s
be ween he physical en i onmen and i s digi al ep esen a ion o model.
The da a laye (2) is esponsible o collec ing, s o ing, in eg a ing, and p oces-
sing da a o igina ing om he physical laye . I in ol es da a exchange, spa ial da abase
sys ems, and mechanisms o empo al and geospa ial synch oniza ion.
The modeling and simula ion laye (3) cons uc s he i ual model (2D, 3D, o
seman ic) ha eplica es he physical en i onmen o Pelou inho. This laye includes pho-
og amme y models, GIS (Geog aphic In o ma ion Sys em), BIM (Building In o ma ion
Modeling), and p edic i e simula ions such as hea -dispe sion models o u ban- low si-
mula ions.
The in elligence and analy ics laye (4) applies a i icial in elligence and machine
lea ning echniques o Pelou inho’s da a o iden i y pa e ns and p edic he beha io o
he u ban sys em. I is essen ial o p edic i e simula ions, in elligen ale s, op imiza ion
p ocesses o a ious ypes, and decision-making.
The applica ion and isualiza ion laye (5) enables public manage s, u ban plan-
ne s, and esea che s o wo k wi h he collec ed and p ocessed da a and hei indica o s,
o es — o example—public policies and u ban in e en ion s a egies, and o moni o
he ou comes o such ac ions.
The p oposed digi al win a chi ec u e is a s a egy o c ea ing mo e e icien u -
ban models ha a e pa icula ly impo an o a eas o his o ical and cul u al signi icance,
whe e in e en ions equi e ca e ul analysis o hei impac s. The Pelou inho digi al win
enables he de elopmen o e idence-based u ban s a egies, educing unce ain ies and
s eng hening u ban planning.
6. METODOLOGY
The esea ch adop s a quali a i e and quan i a i e app oach, using u ban modeling ech-
niques, en i onmen al analysis, and compu a ional simula ions o unde s and he ela i-
JSMNe Ne wo king and Technical Re iew - Vol. 26 N. 2, No embe 2025 5
onship be ween u ban hea islands and clima e esilience in he sus ainable planning o
Sal ado ’s His o ic Cen e .
The s udy will be explo a o y and desc ip i e, seeking o unde s and how sma
ci ies and digi al wins can be applied o mi iga e hea islands. Addi ionally, a case s udy
ocused on he His o ic Cen e o Sal ado will be conduc ed, analyzing he en i onmen-
al and s uc u al condi ions o he a ea. In his con ex , he esea ch will be applied in
na u e, aiming o de elop sus ainable solu ions o u ban planning.
The me hodological p ocedu es will in ol e a bibliog aphic and documen a y e-
iew, including li e a u e on en i onmen al sus ainabili y, hea islands, sma ci ies, and
digi al wins. Fu he mo e, an analysis o public policies and u ban guidelines o his o ic
and sus ainable ci ies will be ca ied ou .
Rega ding da a collec ion, en i onmen al and clima ic da a will be ga he ed o
iden i ied o measu e su ace empe a u es and ai quali y in he his o ic cen e . Remo e
sensing and sa elli e image y will also be used o iden i y he mal pa e ns and u ban
ege a ion. In e iews and ques ionnai es wi h u ban manage s, specialis s, and local
esiden s abou he impac s o hea islands and po en ial mi iga ion s a egies will likewise
be employed.
7. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
The esul s o he Pelou inho digi al win highligh he ans o ma i e po en ial o sma
ci y s a egies combined wi h he use o digi al wins in he con ex o u ban planning o
Sal ado ’s His o ic Cen e . The implemen a ion o his s a egy enables he de elopmen
o a digi al model capable o accu a ely ep esen ing he u ban en i onmen , allowing
analyses ha suppo mo e sus ainable and e icien decisions in e i o ial and en i on-
men al managemen .
The Pelou inho digi al win p o ides deepe insigh s in o he egion’s u ban he -
mal beha io , especially in a eas mos a ec ed by hea islands. Th ough da a collec ion
and p ocessing, o example, pa e ns ela ed o empe a u e, building densi y, pedes-
ian lows, and ege a ion co e can be iden i ied, enabling he mapping o c i ical zones
and guiding in e en ions aimed a educing en i onmen al impac s. Such in o ma ion
con ibu es o imp o ing public policies ela ed o mobili y, land use, and en i onmen al
p ese a ion.
The expec a ion is ha he inal esul s will demons a e he easibili y o using
digi al wins in u ban planning, highligh ing how hey can suppo sma e , mo e pa i-
cipa o y, and e idence-based u ban go e nance. The Pelou inho digi al win is expec ed
o demons a e he possibili y o simula ing di e en in e en ion scena ios—such as in-
c easing g een a eas, adop ing sus ainable ma e ials, o edi ec ing ou is lows—and
assessing, in ad ance, hei e ec s on he mic oclima e and on he balance be ween u ban
use and he i age p ese a ion.
F om an en i onmen al s andpoin , he Pelou inho digi al win is p ojec ed o ena-
ble he e alua ion o solu ions capable o signi ican ly educing hea -island e ec s, con-
ibu ing o inc eased he mal com o and imp o ed quali y o li e o bo h esiden s and
isi o s. Addi ionally, en i onmen al da a analysis is expec ed o allow con inuous moni-
o ing o clima ic and u ban indica o s, making he planning p ocess mo e dynamic and
adap i e o local changes.
F om a social and economic pe spec i e, he expec ed esul s include imp o ed
ou is a ac i eness, s eng hened c ea i e economy ac i i ies, and enhanced cul u al
JSMNe Ne wo king and Technical Re iew - Vol. 26 N. 2, No embe 2025 6
iden i y in Pelou inho by aligning he i age conse a ion wi h sus ainable and inno a i e
p ac ices.
F om a scien i ic pe spec i e, his s udy con ibu es o consolida ing he use o di-
gi al wins as a ool o suppo sus ainable u ban planning, especially in a eas o his o ical
and cul u al ele ance. The expec a ion is ha he model de eloped will se e as a epli-
cable p oo o concep , adap able o o he his o ic cen e s and o B azilian o in e na ional
ci ies wi h simila cha ac e is ics.
8. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
The esea ch add esses he challenge o clima e impac s and u ban hea islands in Sal-
ado ’s His o ic Cen e h ough he applica ion o eme ging digi al echnologies such as
digi al wins, combined wi h sma ci y p inciples, aiming o build a iable and s a egic
al e na i e ha econciles he i age p ese a ion, sus ainabili y, and echnological inno a-
ion.
The ocus is on u u e-o ien ed u ban planning g ounded in da a and in elligen
analy ics, enabling mo e accu a e and e ec i e decision-making. The s udy con ibu-
es bo h o he heo e ical ad ancemen o u ban en i onmen al managemen and o he
de elopmen o public policies aimed a clima e esilience and sma go e nance. The
adop ion o hese solu ions in Sal ado ’s His o ic Cen e ep esen s a eplicable model
o o he B azilian ci ies, p omo ing a digi al, sus ainable, and inclusi e app oach o u -
banism aligned wi h he challenges o he wen y- i s cen u y.
Finally, he s udy ein o ces he impo ance o u ban planning ha combines sma
go e nance, echnology, and sus ainabili y, in alignmen wi h he Sus ainable De elop-
men Goals (SDGs) o he Uni ed Na ions 2030 Agenda, pa icula ly hose ela ed o
clima e ac ion (SDG 13) and sus ainable ci ies (SDG 11).
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