Building Smarter: The Role of Digital Twins in Canada’s Planning Future
Digital Twins provide a shared foundation for municipal teams to improve coordination, sequencing, and long-term investment planning. But many municipalities don’t know where to start. We’ll give you a practical, realistic strategy to develop a scalable, repeatable approach that supports housing, infrastructure, and growth planning.
Towns, cities, and regions across Canada are facing increased pressure to plan smarter and respond faster. Community planners must support new housing, modernize infrastructure, meet new provincial reporting requirements, and make transparent and defensible decisions… all while facing staffing shortages and aging systems. But many urban planning departments are still relying on static 2D PDFs and spreadsheets to shape their cities.
Adoption of Digital Twins across Canada has remained uneven.
Digital Twins have existed conceptually for years, but adoption across Canada has remained uneven. Some larger cities have begun the journey, but most municipalities lack a scalable, repeatable approach that supports housing, infrastructure, and growth planning. That is where the real opportunity lies.
A Digital Twin isn’t a product you buy. It’s a connected, evolving model of the community that helps staff understand, communicate, and test decisions before they’re made. It often starts small: a 3D zoning model, a corridor study area, or a unified view of development applications. Over time, it becomes a more complete picture of how growth, infrastructure, land use, and the environment interact.
Hesitation to build a Digital Twin often stems from concerns about cost, complexity, or the belief that it’s only for large cities. But the greater risk is standing still. Without a shared, up-to-date view of the community, planning becomes reactive. Decisions are made without fully understanding long-term impacts, especially as housing targets, infrastructure pressures, climate challenges, and legislative requirements intensify.
A Digital Twin also addresses a fundamental challenge: communication. Many residents and decision-makers struggle to visualize proposed development or understand growth objectives from flat maps. A 3D environment clarifies intent, reduces confusion, and supports more constructive dialogue. While it won’t eliminate political tension, it does help build shared understanding and trust.
Importantly, the benefits extend well beyond planning. Engineering, transportation, utilities, parks, and environmental teams all work with the same interconnected landscape. A Digital Twin provides a shared foundation that improves coordination, sequencing, and long-term investment planning.
A Practical, Realistic Strategy for Getting Started with a Digital Twin
Every municipality, regardless of size, can begin with a focused and achievable plan:
- Define the purpose
Identify the most pressing need: intensification analysis, corridor planning, housing capacity, servicing constraints, or public engagement.
- Assess what you already have
Most municipalities already possess 70–80% of the data required. A quick maturity check reveals gaps and opportunities.
- Start with a pilot area
A downtown block, a growth centre, or a major corridor is enough to show value and build confidence.
- Establish lightweight standards and governance
Set clear data ownership, refresh expectations, and naming conventions so the Digital Twin can grow sustainably.
- Expand gradually across departments
Bring in engineering, transportation, environment, or economic development when the time is right - not all at once.
This isn’t about building a perfect model. It’s about creating a reliable, connected foundation that improves decision-making today and positions the municipality for the future.
Building the cities of tomorrow starts with being able to see them. A Digital Twin helps planners plan, engineers coordinate, councils decide, and residents understand. Every municipality, regardless of size or budget, can take the first step. And every community will benefit from doing so.
See how ArcGIS Urban, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS Hub support Digital Twin development.