Trend Report 2025: Digital-first modelling and the urban metaverse

Cities around the world are facing an inflection point. Pressures from population growth, infrastructure ageing, climate change, and economic uncertainty are forcing local governments to rethink how they plan, manage, and futureproof urban environments.

Digital transformation has become more than a policy priority for cities around the world – it is an operational necessity. Among the most promising tools in this transformation are digital twins and the metaverse. These technologies allow cities to build digital-first models of urban systems – offering immersive, data-rich environments where planners, engineers, policymakers, and citizens can visualise, simulate, and collaboratively shape the built environment in real time.

This report, published in collaboration with BizzTech, explores the growing relevance of digital twins and metaverse tools in cities, focusing on three key areas:

• The need for digital-first urban models
• The economic value these technologies unlock for cities and investors
• Their capacity to enable collaboration across the full urban development lifecycle.

Also discover how digital twin and metaverse technologies are converging in BizzTech’s UkraineVerse project – an initiative designed to demonstrate how digital modelling and simulation can support the development and recovery of post-conflict and underdeveloped regions.

Download the report now to gain valuable insights into how local and national governments are already putting these tools to work – and what lessons can be learned as adoption accelerates worldwide.