From Digital Twins to Data‑Driven Cities: Urban Simulation with Federico Fernandez
From Digital Twins to Data‑Driven Cities: Urban Simulation with Federico Fernandez
Urbanly founder Federico Fernandez breaks down how geospatial visualization engines evolved into decision systems for planners.
We trace his path from Synthesity/UrbanSim to Autodesk (and the work that won an Autodesk CEO Award), then into Urbanly’s platform that fuses multi-source data with scenario generation and KPIs.
We discuss productizing scripts, modeling organic city growth, and why generative AI must be calibrated against empirical data—not treated as ground truth.
Host
Federico Fernandez
Founder & CEO
With over two decades at the intersection of software engineering and urban analytics, Federico Fernandez built his reputation co‑founding UrbanSim Inc., where he architected the simulation kernels that underpin many modern digital‑twin platforms.
At Autodesk, he led global engineering teams to integrate large‑scale simulation models into BIM workflows—work that earned him the prestigious Autodesk CEO Award in 2015.
Driven by a vision of future‑ready communities, Federico launched Urbanly LLC in Berkeley, CA, to empower planners and policymakers with data‑driven insights.
His platform ingests multi‑source urban data, applies advanced scenario‑generation algorithms, and produces key performance indicators—traffic flows, housing demand, infrastructure stress—to guide growth strategies.
A thought leader in generative AI for urban planning, Federico cautions against treating AI outputs as infallible truths.
Instead, he champions a calibration approach that continuously refines AI models against empirical data and peer‑reviewed research.
Under his technical leadership, Urbanly is pioneering the next generation of simulation‑driven urban design.
Valentin Noves
CEO at e-verse
A versatile leader with broad exposure to projects and procedures and an in-depth understanding of technology services and product development. He has a tremendous passion for working in teams driven to provide remarkable software development services that disrupt the status quo. He is a creative problem solver who is equally comfortable rolling up his sleeves or leading teams with a make-it-happen attitude.
Samuel Barcenas
BIM Consultant Founder of AVES
A highly motivated and experienced architect with a proven track record of success in designing and delivering innovative and sustainable buildings. He is also a BIM expert with a deep understanding of how to use technology to improve the efficiency and quality of the design and construction process.
Valentin Noves
I'm a versatile leader with broad exposure to projects and procedures and an in-depth understanding of technology services/product development. I have a tremendous passion for working in teams driven to provide remarkable software development services that disrupt the status quo. I am a creative problem solver who is equally comfortable rolling up my sleeves or leading teams with a make-it-happen attitude.
