Data and research as key enablers of city outcomes

This study examines how the City of Cape Town progressively built the institutional, technological, and organisational capacity to use data and research for evidence‑based decision‑making over a 22‑year period. It traces Cape Town’s evolution from the 2000 post‑apartheid unicity merger of seven municipalities into a single metropolitan government to a more integrated city administration that systematically uses data to improve service delivery, planning, and crisis response. The study documents reforms in data systems, IT infrastructure, knowledge management, and research governance, showing how these were shaped by political cycles, global “smart city” discourses, and major contextual shocks such as the 2017–2018 drought and the COVID‑19 pandemic, which accelerated demand for real‑time, reliable data. Overall, the case study demonstrates that Cape Town’s pragmatic, incremental approach to data use rather than a purely techno‑centric smart city model, helped improve coordination, transparency, and policy effectiveness, while also highlighting ongoing challenges related to cost, skills, governance, and institutional change.

Abstract based on original source.