// CITY_ASSESSMENT
How smart is Cape Town?
Cape Town scores 74.5% against the DC20 smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #37 of 213 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.
Smart score
74.5%
Rank
#37 / 213
Criteria present
54 / 82
Evidence coverage
82.9%
Cape Town's smart city score by area
14 present · 6 partial · 1 absent
9 present · 3 partial · 1 absent · 3 not assessed
14 present · 0 partial · 2 absent · 1 not assessed
12 present · 5 partial · 3 absent
5 present · 0 partial · 3 absent
Where Cape Town is strong
- ▸Open Data by Default
- ▸EV & Active-Travel Infrastructure
- ▸Resilience & Climate Adaptation
- ▸Pervasive IoT Sensing
- ▸Smart Energy & Buildings
Where the gaps are
- ▸Integrated Multimodal Mobility (MaaS)
- ▸Outcome Measurement & KPIs
- ▸City Data Platform / Urban Data Exchange
- ▸Digital Government / e-Services
- ▸Real-time Public Transit Intelligence
Evidence highlights
Pervasive IoT Sensing · Deployed sensor networks
Cape Town has deployed sensor networks for environmental monitoring (e.g., wind), utility management (e.g., dam levels, electricity load profiles), and smart facility energy monitoring, as evidenced by its Open Data Portal.
https://web1.capetown.gov.za/web1/opendataportal/DefaultPervasive IoT Sensing · Connected assets / smart lighting
Cape Town has connected municipal assets, including smart public lighting and smart facility energy monitoring systems, with data available through its open data portal.
https://odp-cctegis.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/CCTegis::electricity-public-lighting/aboutPervasive IoT Sensing · Public real-time sensor feeds
Cape Town provides publicly available real-time data feeds, such as real-time departures for its MyCiTi public transport system. The city also operates an open data portal, which likely includes various data feeds.
https://opendata.capetown.gov.za/Digital Twin · 3D city model / digital twin
Cape Town has a digital twin initiative, and its digital twin technology has been recognized internationally.
https://www.westerncape.gov.za/news/department-infrastructure-secures-eu-funding-advance-digital-twin-asset-management-initiativeAbout this assessment
Cape Town was assessed against the 82 criteria of the DC20 smart city framework on 2026-06-26 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, and every finding links to where it was found — see how smart cities are measured. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.