Sustainable social development in the urban dimension based on big data. How digitsustainable social development in the urban dimension based on big data. How digital twin cities can be used to respond to social problems and inequalities?

The Thesis investigates, from a Legal Informatics point of view, the concept of "Digital Twin Cities" (DTCs) and their potential to address social challenges within urban environments. Starting from a robust interdisciplinary approach, it integrates legal informatics and computer science to form the methodological foundation for analysing DTCs. It examines the implications, opportunities, and challenges of DTCs in the specific context of European cities, characterised not just by historical architecture and population density but also by socio-political structures emphasising spatial justice, privacy, and citizen engagement. The research includes non-EU cities (notably Zurich and the UK's Gemini Principles), which, like EU cities, strive to balance innovation with inclusivity. A substantial portion of the Thesis addresses the legal considerations linked to DTCs, particularly focusing on challenges such as increased surveillance and ethical dilemmas posed by data ownership and algorithmic biases. Initially developed in industrial settings, DTCs enable cities to simulate and manage diverse aspects of urban life, from traffic flow and energy consumption to public safety and emergency response. However, deploying DTCs in European cities entails navigating a complex regulatory environment, balancing innovation with protecting citizens' rights, such as privacy and autonomy, while avoiding surveillance and social exclusion. DTCs can reshape not only urban management but also the ontology and epistemology of the city, effectively creating a newer form of "documentality" (Professor Ferraris) —a continuous digital record influencing the identity and functioning of cities. To balance innovation with inclusivity, fundamental steps are necessary. The Thesis aims to offer an adaptive framework to balance “attractiveness through formality” and “inclusivity through informality,” bridging the gap between the opposing visions of “cities as computers” and “cities as organisms” through the integration of new digital technologies.