Losing Centrality - Urban Spaces and the Network Society

Oggolder, C. (2012). Losing Centrality - Urban Spaces and the Network Society. Media and the City Workshop (ECREA TWG Media and the City), Milan/ITALY..

Abstract: Throughout history cities always have been places of centralisation, mostly separated from their surroundings by massive city walls, protected by gates and only a few distinct roads leading to neighbouring towns, the pre-modern cities formed clearly defined, mutually connected nodes within a net of connecting lines. In addition to the breakup of clearly defined urban borders, today's cities are enmeshed in a mostly uncountable number of networks. This enormous increase of inter- and intra-urban links has led to a considerable loss of centrality of cities within these networks. The virtual space of the web, however, has created a new arrangement of space. In addition to commonly used expressions of old and new media we therefore are confronted with spatial metaphors like net or web. The image of two – originally – independent and self-contained territories is about to blur. Economy, politics, culture, and communication displace themselves from the urban space into the virtual space. Clearly defined borders of real and virtual rooms are vanishing, just like the definite boundary between centre and periphery. Via the Internet, which is more and more part of the real world, cities get the opportunity to establish new urban spaces. Based on an analysis of the historical development of urban and communication spaces, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the integration of the virtual space into the urban space. The newly established digital space of the Internet offers new places and rooms for gathering and political participation.