Since January 2024, the City of Sarajevo has been a partner in the URWAN - Urban Regenerative Water Avant-garde project, alongside cities from Italy, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta. This project, approved under the Interreg Euro-MED program, is part of the mission "Promoting Green Living Spaces" and aims to address the challenges of increasing green urban areas and optimizing water usage in urban environments.

The first step in implementing this project is creating a digital twin for the selected area using the Kassandra Integrated Decision Support System methodology. To this end, representatives of the Kassandra platform spent two days in Sarajevo, meeting with representatives of the City of Sarajevo and other relevant institutions. The visit, held on September 2nd and 3rd, 2024, included various activities such as educational workshops and tours of key locations in Sarajevo. The goal of the workshop and field visit was to identify and assess the area that the Digital Twin will focus on.

Educational Workshops and Sustainable Development Plans

On the first day of the visit, a working meeting was held, followed by educational workshops that brought together representatives from the City's Sustainable Development Department, the Kassandra team, official institutions, public institutions, civil society organizations, and NGOs. Participants had the opportunity to engage in discussions on common interests and plans, as well as to exchange experiences and ideas. Special attention was given to the plans and strategies for enhancing Sarajevo's sustainable development through the implementation of Digital Twin technology.

Presentation of the Digital Twin System

The Kassandra team presented the advanced Digital Twin system, which enables the creation of a digital replica of the city. As a pilot project, the old part of Sarajevo, covering two square kilometers, was selected. The Kassandra representatives expressed their satisfaction with their visit to Sarajevo and emphasized the importance of collaborating with the City of Sarajevo in implementing such advanced technologies.

“Digital Twin technology acts as a virtual model that, in real-time, monitors, simulates, and analyzes various aspects of urban life, including traffic, energy, infrastructure, water resources, and the environment,” said Antonio Stornello of Kassandra.

“Collaboration with the City of Sarajevo on the implementation of Digital Twin technology is an exciting step forward in utilizing innovation to create more sustainable and resilient cities,” highlighted Marko Cannata during the project presentation.

During the visit, the representatives of Kassandra were given a specialized tour, through which they were introduced to the city's historical and cultural landmarks. A special focus was placed on the Old town of Sarajevo, which is the targeted study area of the project.

As a part of the tour, the guests also  visited the Urban Design Studio in Sarajevo, where they could learn more about the recent implementation of Digital Twin technology in the creation of a digital model of urban areas within the Sarajevo Canton.

This two-day visit to Sarajevo marks an important step toward implementing Digital Twin technology in the city. Through collaboration with international partners and the application of cutting-edge technological solutions, the City of Sarajevo is becoming a leader in sustainable urban development, ensuring better planning and resource management for the benefit of all its citizens.

You can watch the video of the Kassandra team's visit to Sarajevo at the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKt4kwXyF6Q