DTRUE 2026: Digital Twins for Resilient Urban Environments 2026 University of Florida - Jacksonville Campus, 801 W Bay St. Jacksonville, FL, United States, November 19-20, 2026

BACKGROUND

Organized in partnership by the University of Florida, Universidad de Cuenca, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences, and Urban AI, Digital Twins for Resilient Urban Environments (DTRUE) 2026 is an international conference on the application of digital twin (DT) technology to urban design and planning. The conference invites researchers and practitioners to submit work in relation to digital twins. DTs are AI-powered virtual replicas of physical systems that support real-time monitoring, predictive modeling, and scenario testing, enabling system-wide insight and informed decision-making. Urban digital twins (UDTs) focus on representing the built environment at the urban scale. They describe both physical objects and abstract processes within a city ecosystem and provide all relevant information and services through a unified interface. The purpose of UDTs is to enhance planning and management, thereby achieving more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable urban environments. By integrating urban infrastructure, natural ecosystems, and socioeconomic dynamics, UDTs are positioned as a transformative technology that aids disaster response and enhances climate resilience.

We invite researchers from the fields of urban planning, architecture, AI, data science, environmental modeling, environmental risk analysis, public health, and community resilience, as well as practitioners and students in these fields, to submit work that leverages digital twin technologies to build resilient cities for the two-day international conference, DTRUE. Conference proceedings will be peer reviewed by the scientific committee and published. The Day 1 Video Session, in lieu of a traditional poster session, is also an excellent opportunity to showcase digital twin development in an engaging, impactful format.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

All submissions must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. The following submission categories are welcome.

• Extended Abstracts describing original research on digital twin technologies, methodologies, or applications that support urban design and planning. Please see the the full List of Topics below. Extended abstracts should be 500-750 words and include the following elements: Background, Methods, Results (including Figures), and Conclusions. Please also include a list of Keywords and References, which will not count towards the word count. Full papers will be submitted for peer review and publication in the conference proceedings after the conference to allow time for incorporating feedback from the conference.
• Short Video "Abstracts" showcasing original digital twin development, case studies, or supporting tools to be shown during the Evening Video Demo & Networking Session on November 19, 2026. For video "abstract" submissions, please submit 1) several images (e.g., screenshots) or a short video clip (15-30 seconds), and 2) a 200-250 word summary explaining the content. Full videos (~3 min. length) will be submitted approximately 1 week prior to the conference. The video demo session is in lieu of a traditional poster session, for a more dynamic and interactive showcase of novel research and development in DT technology.

LIST OF TOPICS

TRACK 1: TECHNOLOGIES FOR URBAN DIGITAL TWINS

Topic 1: Data Science in UDTs

· Core definitions and conceptual frameworks

· Data integration and interoperability

· Levels of detail and representation (LoD, LoI, LoS)

· Ontologies and semantic models for UDTs

Topic 2: AI in UDTs

· Predictive modeling for climate, energy, mobility, and risk

· Multi-agent systems and reinforcement learning for planning

· Surrogate modeling and scenario testing

· AI ethics, fairness, and transparency in UDT applications

Topic 3: Visualization, Simulation & Interfaces for UDTs

· XR, AR/VR, and gamification in planning and engagement

· Interactive dashboards and visual storytelling

· Digital twin integration in urban design studios

· Simulation platforms (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity, Omniverse)

Topic 4: IoT and Real-time Sensing for UDTs

· Sensor networks

· Environmental data

TRACK 2: DIGITAL TWIN APPLICATIONS FOR RESILIENCE

Topic 1: Design Resilience—Architecture, Landscape & UDTs

· Living shorelines, green infrastructure, and ecological urbanism

· Site-scale to city-scale modeling: from detail to district

· Cultural landscapes, heritage resilience, and storytelling

· Participatory and inclusive design with digital twin tools

Topic 2: UDTs for Disaster Risk Management

· Early warning systems and real-time monitoring

· Flood, fire, storm surge, and heatwave modeling

· Post-disaster recovery simulations

· Decision-support systems for emergency response

Topic 3: Infrastructure & the Built Environment

· Integration of BIM/GIS and city-scale twins

· Sensor networks and IoT for buildings and utilities

· Digital twins in housing, transportation, and energy systems

· Smart building retrofitting and life cycle analysis

· Historic building surveying

TRACK 3: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION & ETHICS IN UDTs

Topic 1: Policy and Governance for UDTs

· Governance frameworks for data sovereignty and resilience planning

· Public-private partnerships in digital twin development

· Digital twin policies and practices across regions/cities/cultures

· Legal, ethical, and social implications of DT deployment

Topic 2: Alternative Future and Scenario Planning Process with UDTs

· Community engagement processes

· Gaming, art, and ludic approaches

· Consensus building

Topic 3: Education & Training

· K-12 Education

· Curriculum development around DTs

· Professional training

· Technology translation from academia to practice

Topic 4: Heritage

· DT for heritage preservation and management

· Methods for heritage survey

COMMITTEES

Organizing Committee

• Karla Saldana Ochoa (chair), University of Florida, School of Architecture
• Hubert Beroche, Urban AI
• Jeff Carney, University of Florida, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience
• Changjie Chen, University of Florida, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience
• Volker Coors, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences, Forschung und Digitalisierung
• Daniel Orellana, Universidad de Cuenca, Faculty of Architecture LlactaLab

Scientific Committee

Track 1

• Volker Coors, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences
• Juan Sardi, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences
• Changjie Chen, University of Florida
• Hubert Beroche, Urban AI
• Jorg Peters, University of Florida
• Aaron Costin, University of Florida
• Soichiro Ikuno, Tokyo University of Technology
• Luis Mejia-Puig, University of Florida
• Jimmy Wei-Chun Cheng, Carnegie Mellon University
• Dieter Uckelmann, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences
• Michael Krone, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences
• Philipp Reinfeld, Stuttgart Technical University of Applied Sciences

Track 2

• Karla Saldana Ochoa, University of Florida
• Shangde Gao, University of Florida
• Andrea Galinski, University of Florida
• Zhaoxi Zhang, University of Florida
• Lisa Platt, University of Florida
• Kalindhi Larios, University of Florida IFAS
• Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, University of Florida IFAS
• Kathy Velikov, University of Florida
• Ravi Srinivasan, University of Florida
• Francisco Valdez, Universidad de Cuenca
• Ryan Sharston, University of Florida
• Aurora Monge-Barrio, Universidad de Navarra

Track 3

• Jeff Carney, University of Florida
• Stacey Dolan, University of Florida
• Daniel Orellana, Universidad de Cuenca
• Maria Watson, University of Florida
• Jason von Meding, University of Florida
• Ann Searight Christiano, University of Florida
• Hal Knowles, University of Florida
• Jeremiah Blanchard, University of Florida
• Eric Gordon, Boston University
• Maria Eugenia Siguencia, Universidad de Cuenca
• Juan Fernando Hidalgo, Universidad de Cuenca

PUBLICATION

DTRUE 2026 proceedings will be published in EPiC Series in Technology by EasyChair.

VENUE

The conference will be held at the University of Florida - Jacksonville Campus, 801 W Bay St., Jacksonville, FL, 32204.

CONTACT

All questions about submissions should be emailed to Stacey Dolan, sdolan@ufl.edu.