Digital twins for decarbonizing Canadian cities
Municipalities are under growing pressure to make better decisions about buildings, transportation and infrastructure. TOOLS4CITIES is an open-source platform that will help.
Turning municipal data into better decisions
TOOLS4CITIES helps municipalities turn complex data into practical tools for planning, testing scenarios and accelerating decarbonization. The open-source platform is built on peer-reviewed research and developed through collaboration with municipalities, government and industry.
See your options before you act
TOOLS4CITIES creates digital models that help municipal teams understand how different decisions could affect energy use, emissions and costs.
Build a picture
Bring together data about buildings, energy, transportation and other municipal systems.
Test scenarios
Explore different approaches and compare their potential effects on energy use, emissions and costs.
Plan with confidence
Use data and scenario modelling to support municipal planning and investment decisions.
DHN tool matches heat sources with selected buildings and generates optimally sized and costed District Heating Networks to validate feasibility
Join the first 10 municipalities
We are inviting 10 Canadian municipalities to join a three-year research program to develop digital twins of their communities and explore options for reducing emissions from buildings, transportation and energy systems.
What your municipality gets
Each participating municipality will receive a digital model of its building stock and tools that allow staff to explore building energy retrofit scenarios and compare their potential costs, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Participating municipalities will also have access to new tools developed through the research program, including:
- Municipal building portfolio retrofit and decarbonization planning
- Urban densification
- Electrification and grid planning
- Sustainable transportation
- Climate resilience
The platform will continue to evolve as new research and capabilities are developed.
Single Building Retrofit compares emissions, consumption, and costs, of 3 levels of retrofit intervention against the base case
TOOLS4CITIES in action
TOOLS4CITIES is already being used by Canadian communities to address practical challenges in decarbonization, energy and urban planning.
Explore how municipalities are using the technology to understand their options, test scenarios and support decision-making.
What participation involves
Municipal contributions are based on population.
| Population | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Under 10,000 | $5,000 |
| 10,000–100,000 | $25,000 |
| 100,000–500,000 | $35,000 |
| Over 500,000 | $50,000 |
Municipal contributions will help leverage additional research funding.
TOOLS4CITIES allows municipalities to experiment with multiple factors, such as building height
Be part of TOOLS4Cities
TOOLS4CITIES is being used in communities across Canada, including Airdrie, Calgary, Québec City, Lachine, Montréal and Saint John.
Join the first 10 municipalities helping shape practical digital tools for municipal decarbonization.