Metaverse for Tehran: Rethinking Urban Planning for Sustainability and Social Equity

Tehran, one of the Middle East’s most dynamic yet troubled capitals, is fast becoming a testing ground for futuristic ideas about how cities might adapt to the twin pressures of environmental decline and social inequality. A new study by researchers from the Department of Human Geography and Planning at the University of Tehran explores how the Metaverse, once confined to science fiction, could evolve into a practical tool for reshaping sustainable urban development. The authors, Dr. Ehsan Dorostkar and Dr. Keramatollah Ziari, argue that immersive technologies such as digital twins, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) could be embedded in the city’s planning processes, enabling reductions in environmental footprints while amplifying the voices of historically excluded communities. Their case study positions Tehran as a striking example of the Global South’s urban dilemmas: high pollution, gridlocked traffic, and widening inequalities on the one hand, and a digitally literate youth population with expanding connectivity on the other.

Research on the Ground: Voices from Tehran

The study is anchored in qualitative methods designed to reflect lived realities. Between 2023 and 2024, the researchers carried out thirty-two semi-structured interviews with planners, policymakers, technologists, and community representatives. They also held four focus group discussions with thirty-eight citizens and reviewed seventeen policy and planning documents. Rather than a theoretical projection, this work engaged with stakeholders to probe how the Metaverse might be applied in practice. Their inquiries centered on three questions: could immersive technologies reduce Tehran’s environmental burdens, could they foster social equity through participatory planning, and what practical obstacles would block their path?

Environmental Gains and the Carbon Footprint Dilemma

The study finds strong promise for environmental optimization. Digital twins, virtual replicas of the city’s physical infrastructure, could simulate traffic flows and energy consumption, providing planners with real-time data to test congestion relief strategies and renewable energy integration. For a city where vehicles are the chief source of pollution, the ability to virtually rehearse solutions before rolling them out could be transformative. Some pilot projects already reflect this potential: a VR traffic control center backed by Melli Bank achieved a 15 percent reduction in emissions in District 12, and a digital twin of the energy grid, developed with MAPNA Group and startups, sought to boost renewable integration by more than 20 percent. Yet enthusiasm is tempered with caution. Metaverse systems themselves consume vast computational power. Experts warned that while the technology could cut down physical mobility and associated emissions, its digital carbon footprint might cancel out some of these gains. This tension underscores the need for energy-efficient platforms tailored to Tehran’s environmental goals.

Inclusion, Access, and the Digital Divide

Perhaps the most compelling discovery lies in the Metaverse’s democratic potential. Citizens in focus groups were receptive to VR town halls and participatory budgeting consultations. The ability to visualize a new park or zoning change in VR and then provide feedback gave marginalized participants a sense that their opinions could genuinely shape policy. Planners, too, noted that avatar-based anonymity helped reduce gender bias during consultations. Yet the dangers of deepening inequities were clear. Many residents lack affordable headsets, stable internet, or the digital literacy to participate. Young participants called for subway stations to host public VR access points, while policymakers suggested equity quotas to ensure marginalized districts had a guaranteed voice. Without deliberate inclusion strategies, the Metaverse risks reinforcing privilege rather than dismantling it.

Challenges, Frameworks, and Global Lessons

The road to implementation is strewn with challenges. Tehran’s outdated hardware and unreliable internet infrastructure remain major obstacles, compounded by budgetary constraints. Developing citywide digital twins is expensive, making public–private collaboration essential. Equally important are regulatory and ethical frameworks. Policymakers interviewed emphasized the urgent need for data privacy protections and guidelines for equitable use. To address these challenges, the researchers propose a three-pillar conceptual framework. The first pillar, environmental optimization, focuses on emission reduction and sustainable infrastructure through digital simulations. The second, engagement inclusivity, prioritizes citizen participation through multilingual VR town halls and protocols that safeguard equity. The third, scalable implementation, envisions phased rollouts supported by partnerships between municipalities, universities, banks, NGOs, and tech firms. This framework is not just aspirational: it has been applied in pilot projects, such as AR zoning consultations with NGOs that raised female participation in planning by 40 percent.

A Double-Edged Revolution for Urban Futures

Beyond practical applications, the study offers theoretical contributions to debates on smart cities. It introduces the Immersion–Equity Paradox, noting that deeper immersion can increase engagement but widen digital divides. It identifies the Scaling Principle, stressing that in Global South contexts, solutions must be bandwidth-efficient, under 50 megabytes per session, to be viable. Finally, it highlights the Policy Sandbox Impact, showing that digital twins reduced policy testing costs in Tehran by 64 percent compared to physical-world trials. These insights position Tehran as a laboratory for innovation with lessons for other rapidly urbanizing cities.

The Metaverse offers Tehran a powerful new canvas for planning: a way to mitigate pollution, reduce congestion, and democratize decision-making. Yet it also carries risks of exclusion, high costs, and ethical uncertainty. Success will hinge not only on technological fixes but also on institutional innovation, inclusive governance, and locally sensitive adaptation. For Tehran, and perhaps for cities across the Global South, the Metaverse represents both an extraordinary opportunity and a pressing responsibility: the chance to leap beyond conventional planning paradigms, but also the obligation to ensure its benefits are equitably shared.