Netspaces: space and place in a networked world

How does our increasingly networked world impact on how we experience and inhabit urban space? This book reflects on the nature of the spatial effects of the networked and mediated world; from mobile phones and satnavs to data centres and WiFi nodes and discusses how these change the very nature of urban space. It proposes that the places and spaces of the city are shifting into a new merged space of the network; nets paces. The book argues that networked technologies in the city do not result in non-places, and rather that nets paces open up opportunities for new spatial typologies and experiences that offer a more situated and socially constructed sense of place. The volume is structured around six chapters; infrastructures, places, boundaries, publics, times and things with each one addressing a different dimension of nets paces. Each chapter explores in detail the way that the spatial form of the city is affected by changing practices of networked world and explains the subtle and multi-faceted ways in which they contribute to new configurations of place and space. The book draws on theoretical approaches and contextualises the discussion with empirical case studies to illustrate the changes taking place in urban space. This readable and engaging text aims to be a valuable resource for architects, urban designers, planners and sociologists for understanding how networks change urban space and the resulting implications for the design of cities.

Preface; Introduction; Infrastructures; Places; Boundaries; Publics; Times; Things; Future challenges; References; Index