Seismic Resilience Assessment of Urban Infrastructure Using Digital Twins and Post-Event Structural Health Monitoring: A Case Study of Tehran

Urban infrastructure systems in seismically active regions are required not only to resist strong ground motions but also to recover rapidly and safely after earthquake events. Conventional seismic design approaches primarily focus on pre-event performance objectives, while post-earthquake condition assessment often relies on visual inspections and simplified damage classification methods. These practices can delay decision-making and limit the accuracy of resilience evaluation in dense urban environments. This study proposes a digital twin-based framework for assessing the seismic resilience of urban infrastructure by integrating post-event structural health monitoring (SHM) data with physics-informed digital models. The framework enables rapid condition assessment after seismic events by updating the digital twin using measured structural responses, allowing damage-sensitive parameters to be identified and interpreted in near real time. By linking post-earthquake condition states with recovery-oriented performance indicators, the approach supports a more comprehensive evaluation of seismic resilience beyond traditional damage indices. The proposed framework is demonstrated through a case study of representative urban infrastructure assets in Tehran, a metropolitan area exposed to significant seismic risk. Results indicate that the digital twin-enabled approach improves the reliability and timeliness of post-event condition assessment compared to inspection-based methods, while providing a systematic basis for evaluating functional recovery potential and maintenance prioritization. The findings highlight the role of digital twins and SHM as key enablers for resilience-oriented management of urban infrastructure in seismic regions.

Keywords:

Seismic resilience , Structural health monitoring , Digital twin , post-earthquake assessment , Urban infrastructure , Damage diagnosis , Case study of Tehran