Strategic integrated nexus planning and smart technologies as pathways to enhancing urban transformation and resilience

Cities increasingly face interconnected socio-economic and environmental pressures, including ageing infrastructure, wastewater mismanagement, climate change, rapid urbanisation, and social inequality. These pressures are intensified by linear planning models that limit service delivery, reduce adaptive capacity, and weaken urban resilience. This mixed-methods transdisciplinary study examines how strategic integrated nexus planning and smart technologies can support urban transformation in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The study integrates remote sensing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), Strategic Niche Management (SNM), and Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) to assess urban growth, wastewater reuse opportunities, and pathways for circular resource management. The study demonstrates that integrating nexus planning with digital innovation can improve real-time infrastructure management, strengthen climate adaptation, and support more coordinated policy and organisational change. It presents a practical framework for managing urban systems as an interconnected urban nexus rather than as isolated sectors and systems. By linking land, water, energy, food, wastewater, technology, and governance, the framework advances adaptive, inclusive, and resilient urban development. The findings highlight the need to shift from reactive, siloed, and fragmented urban management towards proactive, circular, and data-driven planning that improves socio-ecological health and long-term urban sustainability.