Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa, hosting the Parliament, with a population currently estimated at 4,430,367, and an average annual population growth of 2.4 per cent. Like many South African cities, Cape Town is characterised by low urban densities of 1,629 people per square kilometre, and a net density of 17 dwelling units per hectare.

Although a report compiled by the United Nations found that Cape Town is the most equal city in South Africa, like other cities in the country the city is struggling to deal with its apartheid spatial legacy, which is characterised by high levels of unemployment and highly inefficient urban form. By the 1950s, Apartheid forced black and coloured residents to move into segregated dormitory townships on the periphery of the city and this became the main driver of the city’s spatial form. Densities decreased and the city saw a rapid sprawl, which persisted in the post- Apartheid era.

The city has a high environmental profile but increasing urbanisation and climate change make it extremely vulnerable. More frequent and intense extreme weather events happened in the city during the last decade, especially related with flooding and severe draughts.