Short answer for the simplicial case: yes.
Let X• be a simplicial object in finite CW complexes. Then there is a simplicial object K• in finite simplicial sets and a zig–zag of levelwise weak equivalences of simplicial objects |K•| ~→ |Sing X•| ~→ X• so that, in particular, each |Kn| has the homotopy type of Xn and the maps respect the simplicial structure (strictly) in the middle object.
Here is a clean way to see this.
Replace Top by sSet. The Quillen adjunction |–| ⊣ Sing between simplicial sets and compactly generated spaces gives natural weak equivalences |Sing Xn| → Xn for CW complexes Xn, levelwise and natural in the simplicial direction. Thus it suffices to replace the strict simplicial diagram Sing X• in sSet by a levelwise finite simplicial set diagram up to levelwise weak equivalence.
Choose finite models levelwise. For each n, pick a finite simplicial set Kn together with a weak equivalence Kn → Sing Xn (e.g. via a chosen finite triangulation of Xn and the unit Kn → Sing|Kn| composed with |Kn| → Xn and Sing). This gives you the objects you want in each degree, and levelwise weak equivalences αn: Kn → Sing Xn.
Transport the simplicial structure up to coherent homotopy. Using the strict simplicial structure on Sing X• and the αn, you obtain a homotopy coherent simplicial diagram on the objects Kn (i.e. the faces and degeneracies are defined up to higher coherent homotopies so that α•: K• ⇝ Sing X• is a homotopy coherent natural transformation).
Rigidify (rectify) the homotopy coherent diagram. By the rigidification (or rectification) theorem for homotopy coherent diagrams in a simplicial model category (Top and sSet both qualify), any homotopy coherent Δop-diagram is weakly equivalent to a strict Δop-diagram, and one can do this without changing the objects. Concretely, there exists a strict simplicial object K′• in sSet with K′n = Kn for all n, together with a map of simplicial objects K′• → Sing X• that is a levelwise weak equivalence. References for this rigidification include:
Remarks.
Generalization to CWf(A). Let C be a simplicial, left proper, combinatorial model category, and let A be a set of cofibrant homotopy-compact objects. Let CWf(A) denote the finite A-cell objects (obtained from A by finitely many homotopy pushouts and finite coproducts), and let S•f(A) be the finite simplicial objects built from finite coproducts of A, degenerate above some dimension. Then:
Thus, under these mild hypotheses on C and A, the answer to the generalized question is also yes.
In ∞-categorical terms: the relative categories (FinCW, we) and (FinSSet, we) present the same small ∞-category of finite homotopy types. Applying Fun(Δop, –) preserves equivalences of ∞-categories, and every ∞-functor from Δop can be rectified to a strict functor in a simplicial model presenting the target. This is exactly the mechanism used above.
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version: gpt-5-2025-08-07
Status: UQ Validated
Validated: 7 months ago
Status: Needs Human Verification
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