The Cybercities Reader

Rejecting the hype, generalization, and the extreme optimism and pessimism that have dominated debates in the field, The Cybercities Reader is the first book to bring together a vast range of debates and examples of ICT-based city changes. Combining 63 of the best writings on cities and new technologies and 25 specially commissioned pieces from the world's best social scientists, the book's sweep is unmatched. As well as including some of the best work on histories and theories of cybercities, the book includes state of the art analyses of the relations between transport and telecommunications, "bricks" and "bytes" urban economies, virtual and place-based communities, mobile phones and city streets, surveillance and the city, cities and digital divides, the meaning of place and cyberspace, and urban planning and city media strategies.
Our world is urbanizing fast, changing the way we live, work, create wealth, travel, interact, and relate to the places around us. It therefore becomes imperative to understand how cities and new information and media technologies relate. The Cybercities Reader will prove indispensable reading to anyone interested in how this intersection of cities and new media are shaping societies, economies, and cultures on our increasingly urbanized and mediated planet.