Dr Mani Dhingra is a senior postdoctoral researcher with Research Ireland centre Adapt and smart city digital twin manager at Maynooth University. In this interview she talks about how ethics inform technologucal solutions to urban challenges.
Can you tell us about your background?
I am an architect, urbanist and innovator with a master’s degree in city planning supported by DAAD scholarship for research in Germany. I began my early career as a research associate at an NGO in India addressing climate change, and disaster resilience through sustainable urban development.
Beginning my query during India’s launch of its 100 Smart Cities Mission in 2015, I critiqued the concept’s overall techno-centric narrative, advocating for a nuanced approach that integrates traditional urban wisdom with emerging technologies. After my PhD, I worked as a technical researcher at the United Nations Development India Program on a project aiming to integrate the principles of safety, accessibility, and inclusivity into Indian planning guidelines for public spaces targeting vulnerable groups of society.
Since December 2022, I have been a senior postdoctoral researcher working on an industry-academia collaboration between Smart Dublin and Adapt, focusing on ethical urban digital twin applications.
What is the key focus area of your research?
Cities have always fascinated me – their evolution, resilience, and the systems that sustain them. My research centres on a critical question: How can technology address urban challenges while respecting the socio-cultural diversity of cities?
I explore the potential of digital twin technologies for the planning and operation of cities, and engagement with citizens while highlighting the opportunities and limitations for public sector applications. My work aligns with the EU’s vision of green and digital transition by 2050 – emphasising ethical, interdisciplinary and inclusive approaches to urban data, technology and society.
How are you using AI and digital twins to design smart cities?
AI and digital twins in urban planning are emerging concepts, with cities adopting them based on their data maturity. With smart cities, we focus on high-impact proof of concepts – trialling, testing and evaluating them to build a coherent implementation strategy for Dublin. Key use cases include supporting emergency response and pre-incident planning for Dublin Fire Brigade, assessing the impact of new active travel infrastructure along one of the busiest routes, Clontarf to the city centre, and visualising past and future planning proposals within the Dublin docklands.
Are there any cities in the world right now that stand out to you for their smart approach?
The concept of smart cities is transitioning from techno-solutionist attitudes to community-centred interventions, which is critical to ensure a sustainable and inclusive urban future. Europe showcases excellent examples of people-focused approaches – with Barcelona’s car-free smart city experiment; Amsterdam’s openness-by-design principle; and Helsinki’s detailed 3D model for citizens to interact with their built environment. Zurich and London are other great examples where municipalities have effectively streamlined digitalisation into their planning practices while establishing clear foundational principles.
Are there any future directions/trends that excite you in your area?
My current engagement with EU-funded digital twin projects highlights the importance of ethical, inclusive, and democratic technology practices. I am particularly excited about the potential of GeoAI/GenAI for urban planning and the use of gaming engines for community engagement.
These technologies can lower the barriers to participation and promote co-design approaches. However, successful implementation and adoption will require significant training of local authority staff, efficient resource management and alignment with national-level policies. It will be fascinating to see how these challenges are addressed as these tools continue to evolve at a rapid pace than ever possible.
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