Itopian: Urban Life in the Digital Age

Author: (USA) Mitchell
Translator: Wu Qidi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-07-01
Features: The current digital network that is rapidly emerging globally is not merely a communication system for transmitting electronic mail, World Wide Web pages, and digital television, but also a brand-new urban infrastructure—one that can profoundly transform the urban landscape, much like railways, highways, power grids, and telephone networks did in the past. In this accessible and inspiring work, William Mitchell comprehensively and deeply explores this new urban infrastructure and its impact on our future urban life. The book systematically elaborates on the economic, social, and cultural connotations and significance of the new city in the digital age, covering all aspects of creating a new type of city—from building essential digital communication infrastructure, constructing smart places composed of intelligent devices and traditional buildings, to developing software systems that enable these smart places to operate—up to a comprehensive consideration of architectural, community, and urban spatial layouts. Mitchell argues that to complete this urban transformation, we must expand the concepts of architecture and urban planning to include not only physical places but also virtual places. At the same time, we must broaden the ways of connectivity to encompass both telecommunication interconnectivity and traditional transportation systems, including walking and commuting. He also proposes that social relationships adapted to the new city will extend to four types—beyond the familiar primary and secondary social relationships, digital networks will generate new third and fourth social relationships. On this basis, we will create a more intelligent new city—a Utopia.