Expert Insights into XR and Urban Digital Twins: Shaping Future Phygital Cultural Experiences

This study examines the potential benefits and challenges of making tangible and intangible cultural heritage accessible through future Urban Digital Twins (UDTs) from the perspectives of experts in cultural heritage, sociology, urban planning, and architecture. Leveraging Extended Reality (XR), UDTs may provide immersive, engaging interactions with cultural heritage within future phygital city experiences. Through such engaged research practices, we envision enhanced communication between researchers, decision-makers, and citizens. This study uses three focus group meetings with cultural heritage and design experts. It addresses two primary questions: how cultural heritage can be experienced and utilized in UDTs as XR facilitates access to digitized everyday heritage, and what benefits and challenges are anticipated across diverse domains. Findings include UDT advantages, such as increased public engagement, educational potential, and preservation of ephemeral cultural elements, while also noting challenges regarding privacy, data accessibility, and technological limitations. This paper contributes to digital heritage discourse, underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for resilient, inclusive urban cultural futures.