Technocities : The Culture and Political Economy of the Digital Revolution

Information and communication technologies are said to be transforming urban life dramatically and bringing about rapid economic and cultural globalization. This book explores the many fascinating and urgent issues involved by relating advanced theoretical debates to practical matters of communication with cultural policy. It maps out a range of `optimistic? and `pessimistic? scenarios with special regard to various forms of inequality, particularly class, gender and geopolitical. Topics discussed include urban planning, virtual cities and actual cities, economic and political policy, and critical social analysis of current trends that are of momentous consequence. The book concludes that it is necessary to bring together a number of differently informing approaches, cultural, economic, political and technological, to make sense of a field of dynamic and contradictory forces. Introduction / Jim Mcguigan -- Part One. Debates -- Towards Urban Cyberspace Planning / Stephen Graham -- Grounding The Global Through Urban Telematics Policy And Planning -- Foreclosing On The City? The Bad Idea Of Virtual Urbanism / Kevin Robins -- Information And Communications Technologies / Frank Webster -- Luddism Revisited -- Part Two. Textures -- Fishing With False Teeth / Simone Bergman And Liesbet Van Zoonen -- Women, Gender And The Internet -- The Ideal City And The Virtual Hive / Julian Stallabrass -- Modernism And Emergent Order In Computer Culture -- Part Three. Territories -- Xs 4 All? 'information Society Policy And Practice In The European Union / John Downey -- Beyond Infrastructure / Leen D'haenens -- Europe, The Usa And Canada On The Information Highway -- Technocities And Development / Simon Bell Images Of Inferno And Utopia -- Part Four. Perspectives -- Designs On The City / John Pickering -- Urban Experience In The Age Of Electronic Reproduction -- New Technologies / Douglas Kellner -- Technocities And The Prospects For Democratization. Edited By John Downey And Jim Mcguigan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Technocities explores the issues involved in urban planning in relation to computer-mediated communications and cyberspace, including urban planning, virtual and actual cities, and gender and the Internet. Running throughout is a tension between optimistic and pessimistic scenarios for the technocity. The contributors address a complex set of questions, and move beyond the usual images of technological heaven and hell, and technophilia and technophobia, to bring together a number of differently informed approaches, to make sense of a field of dynamic and contradictory forces." "Technocities will be essential reading for upper-level undergraduates and postgraduates in media, cultural and communication studies; geography and urban planning; and sociology."--BOOK JACKET It is widely claimed that information and communication technologies are transforming urban life and bringing about rapid economic and cultural globalization. This book explores the issues involved in urban planning in relation to computer-mediated communications and cyberspace, including urban planning, virtual and actual cities, and gender and the Internet. Running throughout is a tension between optimistic and pessimistic scenarios for the technocity. The authors address a complex set of questions, and move beyond the usual images of technological heaven and hell, and technophilia and technophobia, to bring together a number of differently informed approaches, to make sense of a field of dynamic and contradictory forces. (Adapté du résumé de l'éditeur)

Information and communication technologies are said to be transforming urban life dramatically and bringing about rapid economic and cultural globalization. This book explores the many fascinating and urgent issues involved by relating advanced theoretical debates to practical matters of communication with cultural policy. It maps out a range of 'optimistic' and 'pessimistic' scenarios with special regard to various forms of inequality, particularly class, gender and geopolitical. Topics discussed include urban planning, virtual cities and actual cities, economic and political policy, and critical social analysis of current trends that are of momentous consequence.

|I would be even more general than the book jacket and suggest that any reader interested in placing their own use of technology in a wider context will find something of interest in this multi-faceted book' - Outline 9. This book explores the many fascinating and urgent issues involved by relating advanced theoretical debates to practical matters of communication with cultural policy. It maps out a range of |optimistic' and |pessimistic' scenarios with special regard to various forms of inequality, particularly class, gender and geopolitical Technocities explores the many fascinating and urgent issues involved with information and communication technologies. Topics include: urban cyberspace planning, women, gender and the Internet, and images of technological inferno and utopia