The advancement of digital technologies and the emergence of the metaverse have introduced new spatial and social dimensions to urban life, reshaping patterns of interaction, participation, and identity formation. Within this evolving context, social sustainability—one of the core dimensions of sustainable urban development—requires renewed analytical attention. This study investigates the impact of the metaverse on urban social sustainability, focusing on the city of Urmia as a case study.This research employs a mixed analytical methodology. In the first phase, the readiness of Urmia’s technological and spatial infrastructures for the development of an urban metaverse was assessed, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Web-based spatial platforms, Internet of Things (IoT), big data infrastructures, and communication networks. In the second phase, empirical data were collected through a structured questionnaire to examine the relationship between the extent of metaverse use and key dimensions of social sustainability. Data analysis was conducted using linear regression models in SPSS. The examined dimensions of social sustainability include social cohesion, social participation, sense of place and urban identity, and social equity and accessibility.
The results reveal that metaverse use has a positive and statistically significant effect on social cohesion, social participation, and urban identity, with the strongest impact observed on urban identity. Although the relationship between the metaverse and social equity and accessibility was positive, it did not reach statistical significance at the 95% confidence level. Overall, the findings suggest that the metaverse, if supported by inclusive infrastructure development and appropriate urban governance frameworks, can serve as an effective instrument for strengthening urban social sustainability.