We built the city of Colombo in Cities:Skylines (github.com)

Article summary

A team has created a digital twin of the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka, using the game Cities: Skylines, with detailed land use and zoning based on official city development plans and data from 2020. The simulation includes over a million virtual citizens and public transport based on actual route data. The goal is to create a visualization and communication tool for citizens to understand urban problems and judge the impact of different decisions. The team has made the simulation available under the MIT License.

Main themes

• Urban planning
• City simulation
• Data-driven modeling
• Game-based visualization
• Urban development
• Digital twins

What commenters say

• The simulation is not completely accurate, but it provides a useful tool for visualizing and communicating urban development concepts.
• The limitations of the game engine, such as the maximum area and population, restrict the accuracy of the simulation.
• Some commenters question the validity of using a game like Cities: Skylines for serious urban planning and policy decisions.
• Others argue that the simulation can still be a valuable educational tool for students and urban planners, even if it is not entirely realistic.
• There is a need for more open-source and accessible tools for urban planning and simulation, but current options are limited.
• The idea of mapping virtual citizens to real ones is intriguing, but raises concerns about data access and privacy.
• The simulation has been well-received by urban planners and professors, who see its potential as a teaching tool and for simulating other cities.
• The use of games like Cities: Skylines for urban planning and simulation is a compromise between cost and accuracy, with more expensive professional software being out of reach for many users.