Evidence-informed decisionmaking in multi-stakeholder settings: The case of city digital twins for planning and management

This paper shares initial findings on how data, modelling and evidence is used to inform decision making in the Cambridge city region, UK. It discusses fragmentation of governance across the vertical, horizontal and sectoral/systemic dimensions, as well as the impact of this fragmentation on data collection, access and evidence formation and its use along the decisionmaking process. The investigation is framed by how city digital twins, the latest evolution of urban analytics, could and should be designed and implemented in order to help overcome fragmentation of data and governance. The findings inform the development of a city digital twin prototype for the Cambridge region. Addressing issues related to the dispersion of powers, responsibilities and expertise across a multi-actor governance landscape is essential in improving the use of evidence in Cambridge, and must be considered as a priority for the design and implementation of the city digital twin prototype.