An Ephemeral Geography
Submitted by muahlutki on 06/30/2008 05:21 PM
- Category: Technology
- Words: 337
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An Ephemeral Geography
Issue #1: WHEN HAVE WE EVER LEFT?
New perspectives invoked by network communications change the way we look at the world. Instantaneous messages are transmitted at the speed of light. In this digital age, where information can be accessed anywhere, the question of how we understand and build cities is integral to keeping up with the new conditions set by our methods of communication. These conditions are porous and are changing us in ways that we are still learning to adapt. In a climate of simultaneous behavior where images and messages allow us to be at two places at the same time the object of border', specifically meaning its physical geography, is dissolving. This becomes an important issue with developing urban centers. The city center houses valuable information to manage peripheral geographies (Re: the heartland/hinterland model) Now, all of this information happens in a virtual space; a technological space-time, that understands: no borders! The technology which the city is dependent on, the Internet and its networks, operate on a condition that does not realize physical space, therefore, the boundaries which determine the "city's gate" can be accessed anywhere. This can mean that the city is everywhere.
(Virilio 1986 and Baudrillard 1972)
This information, which define a city's limits, also represents the psychological immersion of its residents into this new technological space. (Virilio 1986) The necessity to expand the creative expressions of electronic architecture is a developing concern for designers. The changing face of the city is increasingly becoming imperceptible as communication technologies (which require more sophisticated and advanced conceptual ability to receive and perceive) are mostly translated by commercial and authoritative sources. In response, architects who are socially concerned with the developments of cities must address the electronic augmentation that is constantly reshaping our...
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