The Use of Digital Twins in the Preservation of Historic Streetscapes: Opportunities and Limitations

In the recent past, digital twins have seen increasing attention in cultural heritage management studies. Digital twins have emerged as dynamic virtual representations of buildings, streetscapes, and urban environments that by integrating sensors, real-time data, and predictive models can support planning, conservation management, and public engagement. As such, digital twins are seen as a panacea by some urban planners, positing that they can function as archival substitutes for heritage streetscapes to be demolished within the context of increasing urban densification pressures. This paper examines this question by first reviewing the development and purpose of heritage conservation areas (historic districts, conservation areas, conservation districts) internationally, highlighting the longstanding tension between heritage conservation and urban renewal. Drawing on examples from Australia and overseas, the discussion evaluates both opportunities and limitations of digital twins for documenting and conserving heritage streetscapes. The paper argues that, depending on the level of detail recorded, digital twins can effectively replicate many ontic dimensions of heritage environments, including physical form, façades, infrastructure, and environmental conditions, while supporting the modelling of development scenarios and the assessment of their impacts. However, digital twins cannot fully capture the ontological dimensions of heritage, such as authenticity, sensory immersion, cultural meaning, atmosphere, and sense of place. Using the Swift Street Heritage Conservation Area in Albury (New South Wales, Australia) as a minor case study, the paper discusses how fine-grained material and craft details can often be lost in digital representation. The paper concludes that while digital twins are valuable tools for documentation and planning, they cannot fully replace the cultural significance embodied in original heritage fabric. In consequence, they cannot be given equivalency with the originals and thus cannot be used as substitutes.