Towards smart city implementation as an engagement practice : the case of Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

This research looked at Smart City implementation as an engagement practice. It explored and reports on the components that advance Smart City implementation and engagement and how these may be developed as a broader Smart City vision for a city, such as Cape Town. With the purpose of uncovering the key Smart City components from a Cape Town perspective, many experts were interviewed, representative of academia, government, civil society and industry across the domains of digital inclusion, digital infrastructure, digital governance and digital economy. Emergent data and findings from these interviews revealed specific 11 themes as they relate to the vision of Cape Town as a Smart City. The findings are grouped under the following headings: 1) Access as Infrastructure, 2) Adaptive Socio-Technical Solutions, 3) Common Good Value, 4) Contextual Smartification, 5) Data as Catalyst, 6) Demonstrated Value, 7) Equitable and Sustainable Cities, 8) Stakeholder Engagement, 9) Transformative Governance, 10) Transition Dynamics, and 11) Value Modelling and Measurement. The information thus compiled changes the way we understand the variables associated with Smart City implementation for the City of Cape Town. Additionally, these findings situate the present CoCT Smart City debate within current academic literature, furthering Cape Town’s Smart City trajectory and vision.