A Methodology for Using Dynamic Visualizations to Enhance Citizens Engagement in Mobility Planning in Thessaloniki

Many cities are developing semantic 3D models as digital representation of their environment to assess the outcomes of the implementation of new mobility services before their real-life piloting. So far, digital twins have reinforced evidence-based approaches for policy-making. The purpose of this paper is to present how digital twins can be used as a tool for vulnerable citizen engagement, improving efficiency of co-creation in mobility planning. An innovative methodological approach of integrating digital twins in engagement processes, by transforming them from real-time data-driven replicas, targeted to the facilitation of the decision-making process for the public authorities to a tool for enhancing citizen engagement in the mobility context has been developed and tested in Thessaloniki Smart Mobility Living Lab. Through a 3-steps workshops’ approach, the mobility needs set by vulnerable users are collected, prioritized and matched with policy plans. By combining citizens feedback with real-time data incorporated in digital twins, citizens receive back visualized scenarios of the impact of specific mobility measures on their neighborhoods. By lifting the citizen engagement in mobility planning to the next participatory level, the results of the study create a bridge between participatory processes and digital twins.