Bentley Systems Revitalizes West Dongba with Smart Urban Planning

• webmaster@construction-property.com
• 20 January 2026
• Construction Focus
• 1290 Views

In a major leap for smart city development, the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning & Design has successfully transformed the West Dongba district using advanced infrastructure software from Bentley Systems.

The project, centered on the strategic “international exchange center” in northeast Beijing, addresses a long-standing deficit in public transportation by integrating new rail lines and subway stations into a data-driven urban grid.

The cornerstone of this transformation is Bentley OpenPaths™ CUBE™, a high-performance transport modeling and simulation application. By creating a “digital twin” of West Dongba, planners were able to visualize and test numerous design options in a virtual environment based on resident travel patterns.

This digital-first approach yielded immediate results for the Institute:

• Accelerated Timelines: The software’s automated and predictive features slashed the initial work cycle from two months down to just three weeks.
• Scientific Precision: Planners accurately forecasted multimodal needs, determining that at stations like Dongfeng, 68% of commuters would walk while 27% would use bicycles.
• Optimized Resource Allocation: The model provided data for scheduling shared bikes, mini-buses, and autonomous shuttle services to bridge the “last mile” of travel.

Beyond efficiency, the Bentley-powered project is a win for environmental goals. By optimizing traffic flow and promoting green transit, the solution is projected to:

• Improve travel efficiency by 15%.
• Reduce carbon emissions by 21,000 tons annually.
• Save 7,600 tons of coal per year.

“With the help of Bentley OpenPaths CUBE… the smart city project can build a system that can reach the entire area within 10 minutes,” said Xiaodong Zhang, Director of the Digital Center at the Institute. This project highlights how Bentley’s specialized software allows cities to move from reactive planning to proactive, sustainable growth.

• Digital Twin
• Bentley Systems
• OpenPaths
• West Dongba