City of Bits: Space, Place, and the Infobahn (On Architecture)

by William J. Mitchell

Paper Book, 1996

Status

Available

Call number

004

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.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

1995

Physical description

225 p.; 6 inches

ISBN

0262631768 / 9780262631761
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