CENTURY CITY
CAPE TOWN
South Africa
Century City in Cape Town, South Africa, is a 250-hectare mixed-use smart precinct that combines offices, housing, retail, leisure, and natural areas, positioned between the CBD and the northern suburbs. It is branded and operated as a “living Smart City” with a strong focus on smart water management, environmental sustainability, and high quality of life. Developed on previously built land within the urban edge, Century City reduces sprawl while offering a dense, transit‑accessible node that integrates business, residential, and tourism functions. The Century City Property Owners’ Association (CCPOA) coordinates urban precinct management, smart infrastructure, and sustainability across the entire development.
Century City features offices, Canal Walk regional shopping centre, housing, hotels, recreation, and the Intaka Island nature reserve, woven together with canals, public spaces, and pedestrian and cycle routes. Smart water management is a core practice: treated effluent supplied across the precinct is used for HVAC cooling, toilet flushing, and landscape irrigation via a fully automated telemetry‑controlled system, supported by canal recirculation pumps and a formal Water Quality Management Plan.
Future Cities criteria compliance
Environmental & Nature
Environmental sustainability is one of five core smart‑city segments for Century City, driving green building standards, energy efficiency, and water‑wise living. Nineteen buildings (including Canal Walk and Zutari’s office) carry Green Building Council South Africa certifications, several with 5‑Star and Net Zero ratings, and the precinct protects and interprets biodiversity through Intaka Island and stormwater treatment wetlands linked to its canals.
Smart City
Century City runs a Service Operations Centre (SOC) and urban management platform that links directly into the City of Cape Town’s SAP and C3 systems, allowing real‑time logging and tracking of faults like leaks or streetlight failures. An open‑access fibre network underpins smart safety, communication, and building management systems, while telemetry controls irrigation and canal systems to optimise resource use.
Human-Centric
Century City is planned as a safe, walkable precinct with connected public spaces, cycling routes, and amenities that support living, working, shopping, and leisure in one area. The CCPOA promotes a “Smart Community” segment that emphasises resident and tenant participation, environmental education, and an art trail and green spaces, aiming to create a pleasant urban environment rather than a purely commercial district.
Interesting Links
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