On 12 June 2023, the University of Twente and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam held the final workshop of their joint project on digital twins for climate-resilient urban planning. Hosted at the municipality office, the session brought together 26 municipal planners from Enschede to explore and test digital tools that evaluate urban green space and urban heat island effects.
Researchers demonstrated how high-resolution remote sensing, spatial analysis and interactive visualisation can help municipalities map green areas, assess climate impacts, and plan adaptation measures. The lively discussion and hands-on demonstrations showed the motivation of municipal staff to engage directly with academic partners in spatial planning tasks.
Project researchers Mila Koeva, Funda Antun, Karin Pfeffer (UT) and Eduardo Dias (VU) facilitated the workshop and observed how municipal needs can be translated into and supported by digital-twin tools. One of the most important outcomes being a shared understanding of the planning process and data analysis requirements.