City assessment
How smart is Cape Town?
Cape Town scores 57.8% against the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework in 2026, ranked #179 of 386 by smart reach and #243 on the evidence alone, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Each criterion counts in full where the evidence shows it present, half where partial and nothing where absent, weighted by its category. 15 of 86 are not yet assessed and count as nothing until a finding is made either way. Last assessed 23 Oct 2026.
Smart reach rank
#179 / 386
Smart score
57.8%
Evidenced rank
#243 / 387
Criteria present
36 / 86
Evidence coverage
74.4%
Cape Town's smart city score by area
8 present · 3 partial · 1 absent · 3 not yet assessed
4 present · 6 partial · 1 absent · 1 not yet assessed
3 present · 7 partial · 0 absent · 3 not yet assessed
5 present · 3 partial · 1 absent · 2 not yet assessed
7 present · 3 partial · 3 absent
5 present · 2 partial · 0 absent · 1 not yet assessed
4 present · 4 partial · 1 absent · 5 not yet assessed
Where Cape Town is strong
- ▸Digital Government Services
- ▸Air Quality & Monitoring
- ▸Housing & Urban Planning
- ▸Education & Digital Skills
- ▸Culture, Tourism & Recreation
Where the evidence shows gaps
- ▸Active & Shared Mobility · 1 absent, 3 partial
- ▸Health & Digital Health · 1 absent, 1 partial
- ▸Public Safety & Emergency · 1 absent, 2 partial
- ▸Disaster Risk & Resilience · 1 absent, 2 partial
- ▸Climate Action & Emissions · 3 partial
Not yet assessed
15 of 86 criteria have no finding yet, either way. They count as nothing in the score until one is made, and they are not gaps.
- Governance & Smart-City Operating Model3 of 4
- Climate Adaptation & Heat2 of 3
- Connectivity & ICT Infrastructure2 of 4
- Green Space & Biodiversity2 of 3
- Water & Sanitation2 of 4
- Energy & Smart Grid1 of 4
- Innovation & Economic Development1 of 4
- Public Transport & Real-Time Information1 of 4
- Urban Data Platform & Digital Twin1 of 3
Evidence highlights
Open Data & Transparency · Programmatic API access
The City of Cape Town's ArcGIS REST Services Directory explicitly offers 'API Reference JSON | SOAP' for its services, confirming programmatic API access to datasets.
https://citymaps.capetown.gov.za/agsext/rest/services/Theme_Based/ODP_SPLIT_6/MapServerDigital Government Services · Unified online services portal
The City of Cape Town offers an e-Services portal where residents can manage municipal affairs and other City services using a single login, indicating a unified online services portal.
https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Register/e-Services-and-municipal-accounts/Register-for-e-ServicesDigital Government Services · Digital identity / single sign-on
The City of Cape Town's e-Services portal allows users to manage municipal affairs and other City services using 'one login', which functions as a digital identity or single sign-on.
https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Register/e-Services-and-municipal-accounts/Register-for-e-ServicesDigital Government Services · Online payments for taxes & fees
The City of Cape Town provides online payment options, including a 'Pay' section on its CityConnect portal for municipal accounts and the ability to pay and renew vehicle licenses.
https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/PayAbout this assessment
Cape Town was assessed against the 86 criteria of the ISO 37120-series aligned smart city framework on 23 Oct 2026 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, or left not yet assessed, and every finding links to where it was found. Cities are re-assessed in runs, not continuously: the latest finished on 24 Oct 2026.