Philly Gets a Digital Doppelganger: A Twin City for Smarter Streets
- By CDOTrends editors
- January 18, 2025

The City of Philadelphia uses digital twin technology to hold data on sidewalks, streets and curbs to improve street management.
Philadelphia has implemented a cloud-based solution from IQ Road Rules and an Inrix right-of-way (Row) product to create its digital twin, which enables staff to communicate rule changes to internal stakeholders and third parties, such as digital mapping companies and fleet operators.
“We can leverage existing data standards from the Open Mobility Foundation to map the Row in more detail and test new ways to digitally manage it through our pilot in Centre City, improving safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians,” said Akshay Malik, who is the smart cities director for Philadelphia.
Better Row management uses data to improve safety, reduce congestion and improve access for local businesses.
The solution can be used by various stakeholders, including pedestrians, cyclists, public transport users, private vehicle operators and freight drivers.
Row has been a focus for traffic managers looking for better ways to coordinate a greater diversity of mobility options in urban areas, from shared scooters and bikes to raid hail drop-offs, sidewalk robots, autonomous vehicles and food delivery.
Other U.S. cities also use the technology as part of their smart city initiatives, with similar moves in Portland, San Francisco and Minneapolis.
Intelligent Transportation Solutions (ITS) and transit signal prioritization (TSP) are positively impacting U.S. cities, with a 2024 survey from vendor Lyt showing an improvement in traffic congestion.
Lyt also provides cloud-based traffic management systems, and an audit of vehicle performance across its database of North American intersections showed savings of USD1.5 million in fuel costs through TSP and a reduction of more than 23,000 metric tonnes in transit bus CO2 emissions.
There was also a saving of more than 18,000 hours in reduced red light waiting times for business, with 6,800 green lights given to emergency vehicles.
Image credit: iStockphoto/sborisov