Exploring the Sustainability Benefits of Digital Twin Technology in Achieving Resilient Smart Cities During Strong Earthquake Events

In recent years, the increasing frequency and intensity of earthquakes have highlighted the need for resilient urban planning, particularly in the context of smart cities. Despite advancements in technology and infrastructure, there remains a significant gap in understanding and effectively adopting digital twin technology for enhancing urban resilience against such seismic events. This study aims to conduct a critical assessment of using digital twin technology for seismic resilience in smart cities and to perform a systematic sustainability analysis to understand how digital twin technology can be utilized to build resilient smart cities that can better withstand and adapt to strong earthquake events. The research is motivated by the critical need to enhance urban earthquake resilience and the potential of digital twin technology as a transformative tool in urban planning and disaster management. By exploring the implementation of a digital twin model and performing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis, the study provides comprehensive insights into the dynamics of urban areas under seismic stress. It leverages real-time data and advanced simulation techniques to assess, predict, and strategize responses to earthquake scenarios, enhancing urban resilience and sustainability. In addition, this research demonstrates how digital twin technology can help in achieving several United Nations sustainable development goals, particularly those related to sustainable cities and communities, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, as well as climate action, which are represented in goals 9, 11, and 13. Ultimately, the study findings highlight the importance of integrating advanced technological solutions, such as digital twins, in urban development strategies to build smarter, more resilient cities capable of withstanding future seismic challenges.