Cities, much like history, are often narrated through the perspective of those who emerged victorious—whether in economic, cultural, or political struggles. Yet, the built environment reveals a more complex reality: cities are not singular stories but rather assembles of diverse social scenarios and heritages, materialized through their morphologies, narratives, and everyday practices. Understanding the city requires uncovering these layers and the intricate relationships between them.  we ask how digital humanities and more precisely the concept of the Social Digital Twin expand our ability to expose the city’s latent possibilities—borrowing from Weber’s concept of "objective possibilities." Learning on 3S Lab infrastructure, which develops social topographies through critical cartography methods. We argue that digital humanities are essential for embedding critical theory within digital platforms, offering new ways to reimagine urban space and its histories.  In this research project, we aimed to challenge the concept of the social digital twin in light of the challenges faced by the southern neighborhoods of Tel Aviv. This exploration is framed within the theoretical discourse of the Global South or, as articulated in urban studies, the Urban South.  Since urban morphology reflects the culture and history of entire communities, we modeled one of the ethnic neighborhoods that were designed according to the planning principles of its residents. We then instructed the computer to scan all layers of Tel Aviv in search of a similar morphological pattern. The findings reveal the identification of a historical strip of ethnic neighborhoods in the city, characterized by a distinct architectural heritage and signature.  Meirav Aharon-Gutman is a faculty member at the Department of Architecture and Town Planning Technion, the academic Head of the Social Hub, Technion, and a former Acting member at the National Council for Planning and Building, Israel. Meirav is a Fulbright (twice) and Marie Curie award scholar. Her main research project is Smart Social Strategy, which aims to lead the social turn in Smart cities. Together with her research group, Socio -Tech, Meirav develop Data-driven policy simulations, that lean on urban micro-simulations and come to a discussion in Smart social theatre.     Our findings challenge the prevailing narrative of Tel Aviv’s establishment, demonstrating that its urban evolution was not merely an act of spatial avoidance that turned its back on the city’s southern districts but rather a reflection of broader exclusionary mechanisms that align with structural patterns of marginalization seen across the Global South.


The Team:
Prof‭. ‬Meirav Aharon-Gutman‭
‬Shahar Haskell‭
‬Arch‭. ‬Batel Yossef-Ravid‭
Gal Horowitz‭
Haya Abu-Sarieh‭
Orit Weinstein‭
Ilan Israelov