Revisiting Castells' Take on the City and the Informational Age

Abstract

This paper reappraises the two papers of Manuel Castells published in this journal in 1993 and 2002. This appraisal considers the context of his academic career and formidable body of work, the historical period in which the papers appeared and the general discussion on the transformation of cities and societies in academia. Although his legacy is now strongly coloured by Castells' later shift to information and communication, his contributions to cities should not be neglected. Commonalities and differences between the two papers at issue here are summarised. Despite shifts in personal positions of the author and socio‐economic positions of the studied cities, commonalities largely prevail. Their footprint in the academic literature is indicated by a discussion of cities and the world economy.

Perception of Heritage Values: Experiential Qualitative Model for Assessing the Urban Potential

“…When interpreting the future development and "behavior" of European cities, Manuel Castells points out that cities are increasingly turning to local heritage, concluding that the weakening of national identity makes people insecure and distrustful of the environment, politics and social relations [1]. This claim inspired much future research and the overall impression that modern-day cities are now perceived as active factors when tackling contemporary societal challenges, ranging from social cohesion to local peculiarities [2]. Cultural heritage can be seen as an effective tool that conditions the identity of a place and our perception of urban space in several ways.…”

Conceptualizing an Informational Paradigm in the Pursuit of Sustainable Cities and Communities

“…These transformations encompass the globalization of the economy and technology, the decentralization of traditional national power structures to a dynamic interplay between global and local levels, the dematerialization of consumption patterns, and a notable shift towards information and knowledge-based services [3][4][5][6]. Together, these dynamics contribute to the intricate process of societal deindustrialization, reshaping the fabric of contemporary societies [7,8].…”

“…Urban studies has witnessed a transition from structuralism to subjectivism, facilitating a broader comprehension of urban dynamics [7]. Likewise, Sustainable Development has expanded beyond its ecological focus to encompass economic, political, cultural, and social dimensions [3].…”

“…As a result, planning itself becomes the ultimate objective, rather than a means to achieve coherence and comprehensive sustainable management, perpetuating the fragmented nature of urban development [5]. The whirlwind of social and spatial transformation brought about by the emergence of ICT has further led to a perceived detachment of traditional urban planning from theory, rendering it obsolete, as we inhabit cities that are globally connected yet locally disconnected [3,7,9,10,[12][13][14].…”

Introduction to the Forum: Revisiting Manuel Castells on Cities in the Informational and Network Society

“…The contributions are above all complementary in that they discuss Castells' papers from slightly different vantage points. In the first contribution, Virginie Mamadouh and Herman van der Wusten (2022) situate the two TESG papers in the intellectual biography of Manuel Castells and the broader socio‐economic trends he tried to capture. They emphasise the importance of his thinking in redirecting and shaping myriad urban debates, and systematically tease out his key arguments in this respect alongside reviewing the reception and legacy of those arguments.…”