Chapter 1: Introduction

This introductory chapter outlines the critical challenges and opportunities in Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) and Urban Management (UM), emphasising the transformative potential of Digital Twins (DTs). With cities facing increasing complexity and sustainability pressures, DTs offer a promising solution to support UM through advanced data integration and decision-making tools. However, current DT applications in UM suffer from inconsistencies across methodological, methodical, and philosophical dimensions. Addressing these challenges, the chapter introduces the scope of this book, including developing the Designed Amalgam of Twinning for Urban Management (DATUM)—proposed to systematise and unify DT practices. DATUM is designed as a pluralistic system to bridge theoretical and practical gaps, providing a coherent structure for DT implementation. The chapter further outlines the book's objectives and previews the book's structure, guiding the reader through the systematic development and application of DATUM to enhance the DT for UM paradigm.