Cities That Learn: How Digital Platforms are Building the Cognitive City

Urban digital platforms are increasingly being used to navigate the complexity of urban environments, helping cities better understand how they function and evolve. By enabling data-driven decision-making and scenario exploration, these tools support more effective and forward-looking planning. This session explores the role of simulations within these platforms—what they can currently offer, from predictive insights to scenario testing, and what possibilities they open for the future of urban digital systems, while also examining how governments are adopting these tools in practice and the challenges involved in developing, financing, and translating them into meaningful outcomes for urban planning.