The research provides the latest results of a literature review that contributes to determine the indicators for measuring research, development and learning capacities under the concept of smart cities and the triple helix. The first concept is understood as the capacity of an urban environment to find a balance and sustainability between the social, economic and environmental spheres. The second frames this interest from the concerted participation between actors such as government, university, industry and civil society. Methodologically, a bibliometric review is proposed using the Scopus and Science Direct databases with studies between 2012 and 2021 for the development of this topic. As a result, it is found that this field has been little explored and in general the capacity metrics are based on governmental and educational dimensions.