Small Towns, Big Questions: Methodological Insights into Use Case Selection for Digital Twins in Small Towns

Selecting appropriate use cases for implementing digital solutions in small towns is a recurring challenge for smart city projects. This paper presents a transdisciplinary methodology for systematically identifying and evaluating such use cases, drawing from diverse academic disciplines and practical expertise. The proposed methodology was developed and implemented in Lower Austria, with a particular focus on the small towns that are characteristic of a region lacking major urban centres. Through semi-structured interviews and collaborative workshops (e.g. a needs requirements workshop) with various relevant stakeholders, fifteen possible use cases were first identified. Then these use cases were categorised and assessed based on criteria such as feasibility, usefulness, the need for biological or human modelling, and overall complexity. Based on these characteristics, three use cases were selected for further development. These will be the basis of digital twin solutions for supporting decision-making and public outreach regarding policy decisions in those fields. Our proposed methodology emphasises stakeholder engagement to ensure robust data collection and alignment with practical requirements and the involved towns' current needs. We thus provide a replicable framework for researchers and practitioners aiming to implement digital twin tools in future smart city initiatives in non-urban and rural contexts.