One of the first smart cities in the United States, Peachtree Corners is set to take a major leap forward by testing the first AI-powered urban metaverse capable of anticipating and solving city-level issues before they even occur.
A smart city at the forefront of innovation
Peachtree Corners, a city of 45,000 located in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, is widely recognized as one of the most advanced open-air smart cities in the United States.
The city has heavily invested in connected infrastructure and cutting-edge technologies, positioning itself as a global model for sustainable and digitally integrated urban development.
At the heart of its innovation ecosystem is Curiosity Lab, a 500-acre living laboratory built to test emerging technologies in real-world settings, including autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things (IoT), and 5G-powered solutions.
Unlike traditional pilot programs, technologies developed at Curiosity Lab are not confined to labs or theoretical models. They are deployed directly into the city, allowing Peachtree Corners to become a fully operational urban testbed where the future of city living is already in motion.
Partnering with BizzTech: toward an immersive urban metaverse
Recently, Peachtree Corners announced a groundbreaking collaboration with BizzTech, a leading provider of immersive metaverse platforms powered by artificial intelligence. The goal is to create a photorealistic digital twin of the downtown area, integrating real-time sensor feeds, traffic data, weather conditions, and AI to maintain an always-on, interactive replica of the urban environment.
This initiative will allow the city to:
- Test emergency response protocols virtually
- Optimize traffic light timing
- Simulate autonomous vehicle corridor expansions before real-world deployment
“By layering real-time data streams onto a photorealistic digital twin, we can test infrastructure development, urban mobility changes, and even emergency response protocols in minutes”, said Brandon Branham, Assistant City Manager and CTO of Peachtree Corners. “That means identifying safety risks early, deploying resources faster, and modeling response paths to protect our public safety teams”.
Digital twins at the core of the metaverse
The BizzTech platform is powered by next-generation digital twins enhanced with both generative and agentic AI. This combination allows the urban metaverse to go beyond passive simulation and instead adapt dynamically to different scenarios, enhancing user interaction and enabling faster, more informed decisions.
For instance, the system can proactively alert city staff to emerging traffic flow issues or notify public safety departments before potential threats escalate. This results in smarter traffic management, reduced operational costs, and timely infrastructure maintenance.
The initiative is designed to be scalable and replicable, offering a blueprint for other municipalities to adopt. “BizzTech’s urban metaverse is built to remove uncertainty from city management”, said Dirk Schmidt, CEO of BizzTech. “Together with Peachtree Corners, we’re turning predictive intelligence into immediate cost savings, public trust, and a scalable model that other cities can follow”.