City data in real time
From testing development decisions to monitoring daily operations, connected data could change how properties and their surroundings are managed.
A township can look convincing in a scale model. Roads connect neatly, trees line the walkways and the spaces between buildings appear inviting. But once people move in, the questions become more practical.
How long does it take to leave for work? Is the walk to the shops comfortable at midday? How quickly can management spot a problem before something breaks down?
Gathering data to answer these questions provides tangible evidence of whether a place remains pleasant to use long after its launch because information from everyday activity helps a development keep improving as its occupants’ needs change.
This is where technology can support placemaking. Alongside the design of streets, buildings and public spaces, digital tools can help those responsible for a place understand how it performs.
Sometimes described as placemaking tech, it involves using data and digital models to inform decisions about the physical environment.
One of the tools supporting this approach is the digital twin which is a virtual representation of a building or place that can draw on information from its real-world counterpart.
Possibilities in development
Being able to realistically weigh decisions before committing to the actual physical work is appealing for the construction and development industry.
In an article published in March 2025, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) dove into the technology of digital twins and how it can combine information from sensors, connected devices and Building Information Modelling. This allows assets to be monitored and construction scenarios to be tested virtually and helps identify any inefficiencies and problems that could come about.
At the city level, the situation becomes broader and way more complex. Once a new development brings activity into an area, what exactly happens to the surrounding roads, infrastructure and environmental conditions?
It is a common question that has no straight answer, so understanding the intricate relationships between the many catalysts decides just how comfortably the development fits right in.
In September 2025, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) said it is developing an Urban Digital Twin to simulate traffic flows, flood risks, energy consumption and the effects of development on the climate. The initiative forms part of Kuala Lumpur Smart City 2030.
Such modelling could give planners another way to compare possible outcomes.
Its usefulness would depend on how closely the information and assumptions reflect conditions on the ground. A simulation can inform a decision while the eventual result still needs to be assessed in the real place.
Township example
This relationship between physical places and connected information was also featured at Cities Climate Connect 2026, organised by the Malaysia Green Building Council.
According to Sunway University’s account of the event, Future Cities Research Institute co-director Professor Rosdiadee Nordin presented Sunway City as a living laboratory and showcased the Sunway City Digital Twin. His presentation explored how artificial intelligence (AI), sensing networks and digital twins could support urban planning and city operations.
The university also highlighted the institute’s ongoing work on sensing networks, net-zero building management systems and platforms that use AI to analyse urban information.
These are research and development efforts directed towards more informed management of the built environment.
For the property industry, the township scale is particularly relevant. A building operates alongside neighbouring properties, roads and shared facilities.
Decisions about one part of that environment can affect how people experience another.
This makes way for digital models to become part of a development’s life.
The information gathered after people move in could help owners revisit earlier assumptions and identify where changes deserve closer investigation.
Real operations in real time
The surest way of seeing if a system works is to place it in the real world. The authorities are currently focusing on daily operations for testing.
In July 2025, the Digital Ministry described Kuala Lumpur’s AI-powered traffic management system as using live camera feeds and analytics to monitor conditions, detect incidents and adjust traffic signals at critical intersections.
It also highlighted DBKL’s digital twin initiative as supporting planning, emergency response and resource management.
Within buildings and construction assets, monitoring has another purpose. CIDB explains that analysing equipment performance can help identify unusual behaviour and potential failures early, allowing maintenance needs to be detected before problems escalate.
The business relevance is straightforward. Disruption affects the people using a property and creates work for those managing it.
Early information could help operators investigate faults and plan interventions. Any promised savings, however, would need to be demonstrated through the performance of the particular project.
A well-cited example is Singapore’s Punggol Digital District which shows how to connect these across its estate.
According to the Urban Redevelopment Authority, its Open Digital Platform, developed by JTC and GovTech, brings building systems, sensors and connected devices together.
The platform powers a 3D digital twin for monitoring estate systems and testing scenarios. It also uses AI and machine learning to recommend settings intended to optimise energy use in equipment such as cooling towers and lifts.
Keeping info useful
Making such systems work involves decisions about how information is collected, maintained and shared.
At a mayors’ roundtable in August 2025, the Digital Ministry identified shared digital infrastructure, digitisation and data sharing, as well as digital twins for urban simulation and planning, as three strategic priorities.
For developers and property managers, this raises even more practical questions.
Who will update the model when a building changes? Can different systems exchange information? Who will investigate an alert and authorise the work that follows?
The cost of keeping the system useful also belongs in the discussion. Additionally, residents’ experience should remain part of that assessment. Equipment readings may reveal an operational problem while feedback from occupants can help explain how it affects daily life.
The value of a digital twin ultimately rests on the decisions it helps people make.
A more comfortable walkway, a better-timed repair or a more informed development proposal gives the technology a purpose that property users can understand.
A place continues to change after construction ends. Its management needs ways to keep up with these changes.