Information Technology and the Future of Cities

Ivan Seeking

Information Technology and the Future of Cities
Will improvements in information technology eliminate face-to-face interactions and make cities obsolete? In this paper, we present a model where people make contacts and choose a mode of interaction: meeting face-to-face or communicating electronically. Cities are a means of reducing the fixed travel costs involved in face-to-face interactions. When telecommunications technology improves, there will be two opposing effects on cities and face-to-face interactions. First, some relationships that would have been face-to-face will be conducted electronically. Second, the increase in frequency of contact between individuals caused by improvements in telecommunications technology may result in more face-to-face interactions. If the second effect dominates, telecommunications improvements will complement both face-to-face interactions and cities. Our empirical work suggests that telecommunications may be a complement to, or at least not a strong substitute for, cities and face-to-face interactions. Q 1998 Academic [continued]

http://www-agecon.ag.ohio-state.edu/...win/pdf/60.pdf

selfAdjoint

I don't believe it. As long as I have been an adult I have seen repeated predictions that some new technology would replace face-to-face communications and hierarchical structures with distributed centerless networks. This started back in the late 40's with the video phone, which was gong to take over the world. It never happened; humans are a band oriented species; we like close contact and hierarchies. Thanks to minds, individuals can buck this default, but the greater number will accede to it.

plus

Quote by selfAdjoint

I don't believe it. As long as I have been an adult I have seen repeated predictions that some new technology would replace face-to-face communications and hierarchical structures with distributed centerless networks. This started back in the late 40's with the video phone, which was gong to take over the world. It never happened; humans are a band oriented species; we like close contact and hierarchies. Thanks to minds, individuals can buck this default, but the greater number will accede to it.

In fact it started even before that, people were saying the same thing about the ordinary telephone, and perhaps even with those morse code devices.
Things like shopping will continue to draw people and give employment. Note that internet based shopping was supposed to take most of the business from the high street, but now people prefer to see/ touch the garments they are buying.

Ivan Seeking

By chance I discovered that this thread was accidentally locked long ago, so I opened it and am bumping it up for anyone who is interested.

Smurf

lol. Nice catch?

I don't think cities are a solution to an information problem. It's a goods problem. And until we develop really cheap teleportation, that's not gonna change.

devil-fire

Quote by Smurf

lol. Nice catch?

I don't think cities are a solution to an information problem. It's a goods problem. And until we develop really cheap teleportation, that's not gonna change.

cheap and fast. until robots can fix your plumbing problems, time required for transit is going to be a big issue. same for health care and entertainment such as live music, bars and restaurants.

lovesorrow

thanks so much for useful info

information technology

dorlomin

Energy constraints will apply equaly to expanding the internet as travel. More dense cities are quite likely to be on the way back, some geographers note a trend among young couples to move into more dense city center areas due to the bull run on oil prices during the past 8 years.

Increasing the flow of information will have to be more energy efficient than present if it is to continue increasing.

arielaa

Quote by selfAdjoint

I don't believe it. As long as I have been an adult I have seen repeated predictions that some new technology would replace face-to-face integrated communications and hierarchical structures with distributed centerless networks. This started back in the late 40's with the video phone, which was gong to take over the world. It never happened; humans are a band oriented species; we like close contact and hierarchies. Thanks to minds, individuals can buck this default, but the greater number will accede to it.

I agree, we like the face to face, but it's no doubt that new technologies have taken away some tof this time.

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Ivan Seeking Recognitions: Gold Member Science Advisor Staff Emeritus	Information Technology and the Future of Cities By chance I discovered that this thread was accidentally locked long ago, so I opened it and am bumping it up for anyone who is interested.

Smurf	lol. Nice catch? I don't think cities are a solution to an information problem. It's a goods problem. And until we develop really cheap teleportation, that's not gonna change.

lovesorrow	thanks so much for useful info information technology