Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
The MIT Press (1996), Edition: Revised ed., 225 pages
Description
Entertaining, concise, and relentlessly probing, City of Bits is a comprehensive introduction to a new type of city, an increasingly important system of virtual spaces interconnected by the information superhighway. William Mitchell makes extensive use of practical examples and illustrations in a technically well-grounded yet accessible examination of architecture and urbanism in the context of the digital telecommunications revolution, the ongoing miniaturization of electronics, the commodification of bits, and the growing domination of software over materialized form.
User reviews
LibraryThing member archidose
Written in 1995--which feels more than 15 years ago in terms of the technology that Mitchell deals with--the author's insights are quite prescient. He speculates on how technology will reach into various aspects of our lives, shaping architecture and cities. His technocratic view means some of his
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predictions are over-the-top and lacking any critical insight (should doesn't seem to enter the picture), but overall it is an important book for understanding technology's impact on physical space. Worth reading even these many years later. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1995
Physical description
225 p.; 6 inches
ISBN
0262631768 / 9780262631761