Can Cape Town build one of the world's great future cities?

• Cape Town is planning today for a city of 10 million people, but success depends on faster delivery, smarter infrastructure and stronger partnerships.
• Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Premier Alan Winde say growth is inevitable. The challenge is ensuring it is inclusive, resilient and investment-friendly.
• Developers, government and investors agree on one thing: the future city cannot be built by government alone.

If there was one message that echoed throughout the 13th Western Cape Property Development Forum's Future City Perfect Conference at the Cape Town International Convention Centre this week, it was this: Cape Town's future is no longer something to debate, it is something to build.

From keynote presentations and panel discussions to a candid conversation with Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, delegates returned repeatedly to the same question: Can Cape Town become one of the world's leading future cities while accommodating a population expected to double to almost 10 million people over the next three decades?

Some of the highlights of the conference include:

1. The city cannot wait
    Use the excellent quote from the City's presentation: 
   "Cape Town's biggest risk is not that we don't know what needs to be done. Our biggest risk is that we know what needs to be done but still move too slowly to get it done."

1. Planning for a city of 10 million people
   ‍Hill-Lewis repeatedly returned to this and said "We have to think of a Cape Town of 10 million people."

3. Growth is inevitable, but can it remain liveable?
   ‍Alan Winde's comments. Population growth Economic opportunity Climate risk. Floods. Roads. Infrastructure.. Excellent statistic. R2 billion additional road repair requirement.

4. Government cannot build the future city alone
   ‍Probably the strongest recurring theme. Quote Future cities will be built where public purpose meets private capability.

5.  Public-private partnerships must improve
   ‍One of the strongest debates. Developers described relationships as "toxic" while government acknowledged improvements still required.

6. Infrastructure is now the biggest investment story
   ‍Water, Rail, Transport, Electricity, Roads, Ports, Digital infrastructure, PRASA, Water Department, Infrastructure Planning, Energy.

7. AI is coming to planning
   ‍City is exploring, AI, faster development approvals, tracking applications closer, planning systems and automation.

8. The future belongs to cities that can execute
   ‍Finish with not vision. Execution.

‍

Quote "The future city will not be decided in a strategy document. It will be decided in the systems we fix, the infrastructure we fund, the partnerships we make real, and the development that actually takes place."

‍

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from WCPDF 2026 is that Cape Town is no longer planning for today's city but for the next generation. The challenge is no longer defining the vision. The vision is largely agreed upon. The real test now lies in execution.

Whether Cape Town becomes one of the world's great future cities will depend less on ambitious plans and more on the speed at which government, investors, developers and communities can work together to deliver housing, infrastructure, transport, energy and opportunity for a rapidly growing population.

The future city is already taking shape. The question is no longer whether Cape Town will grow, but whether it can grow fast enough, smart enough and inclusively enough to remain one of Africa's most investable and liveable cities.

Over the coming month, Real Estate Investor Magazine will examine the major themes that emerged from the conference, including housing affordability, infrastructure funding, transport, energy, urban design, public-private partnerships, artificial intelligence, investment trends and the future of South Africa's fastest-growing metropolitan economy.

Read our exclusive in-depth cover feature in the July edition of REImag: Future City Cape Town: Can the Mother City Build Africa's Most Liveable, Investable and Inclusive Megacity?

‍