from the Wall Street Journal
“The real promise here is that we start to build cities that are way more efficient and are way more effective at providing services for the residents,” says Todd Richmond, director of the Tech & Narrative Lab and a professor at the Pardee Rand Graduate School.
Before that can happen, several technological updates will be needed, including more data collection, which is dependent on better internet coverage from 5G networks, Prof. Richmond says.
There also are questions about equity, he says. For example, richer areas might end up with more sensors that gather more data, leading to better city services in wealthier areas compared with poorer neighborhoods. To prevent such inequities, people will need to design and use digital twins to create the desired outcome, Prof. Richmond says.
“Humans still need to make decisions based on what the digital twin is saying,” he says.