IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/inrsre/v28y2005i2p119-145.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Information Technology and Urban Form: Challenges to Smart Growth

Author

Listed:
  • Ivonne Audirac

    (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Florida State University, iaudirac@garnet.acns.fsu.edu)

Abstract

This article discusses how information and communications technology (ICT), construed either as evolutionary or revolutionary, permeates two broad urban research traditions of metropolitan change. It reviews research findings from these two research traditions concerning metropolitan population and employment redistribution. It suggests that synergies between ICT and our car, truck, and airplane society may be a thrust behind well-established urban decentralization and deconcentration trends. Furthermore, a review of research on ICT-intensive firms, assumed to be the “glue†of urban agglomerations, reveals that metropolitan dispersion and regional deconcentration are also occurring in this sector. Although both centrifugal and centripetal forces are shaping the form of the information age metropolis, rather than central city renaissance or absolute urban dissolution, the resulting spatially distributed network pattern is polycentric and evolving into a regional constellation of ICT agglomerations interconnected via high-speed transportation and digital networks. The increasingly spread-out metropolitan form embodies the time-sensitive logic of the information age. However, such logic poses serious challenges to smart growth’s metropolitan agenda.

Suggested Citation

  • Ivonne Audirac, 2005. "Information Technology and Urban Form: Challenges to Smart Growth," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 28(2), pages 119-145, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:inrsre:v:28:y:2005:i:2:p:119-145
    DOI: 10.1177/0160017604273624
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0160017604273624
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0160017604273624?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alex Anas & Richard Arnott & Kenneth A. Small, 1998. "Urban Spatial Structure," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(3), pages 1426-1464, September.
    2. Bruce Katz, 2002. "Smart Growth: The Future of the American Metropolis?," CASE Papers case58, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    3. Gaspar, Jess & Glaeser, Edward L., 1998. "Information Technology and the Future of Cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 136-156, January.
    4. Edward L. Glaeser, 1998. "Are Cities Dying?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 139-160, Spring.
    5. Edward L. Glaeser & Matthew E. Kahn, 2001. "Decentralized Employment and the Transformation of the American City," Harvard Institute of Economic Research Working Papers 1912, Harvard - Institute of Economic Research.
    6. Cohen, Stephen S & Zysman, John & DeLong, Bradford J, 2000. "Tools for Thought: What is New and Important about the "E-conomy"?," UCAIS Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy, Working Paper Series qt0c97w1gn, UCAIS Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy, UC Berkeley.
    7. Jan K. Brueckner, 2000. "Urban Sprawl: Diagnosis and Remedies," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 23(2), pages 160-171, April.
    8. Handy, Susan & Mokhtarian, Patricia, 1996. "The Future of Telecommuting," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt5nm777c1, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    9. Donald G. Janelle & David C. Hodge, 2000. "Information, Place, Cyberspace, and Accessibility," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Donald G. Janelle & David C. Hodge (ed.), Information, Place, and Cyberspace, chapter 1, pages 3-11, Springer.
    10. Cohen, Stephen S & Zysman, John & DeLong, Bradford J, 2000. "Tools for Thought: What is New and Important about the "E-conomy"?," Department of Economics, Working Paper Series qt0c97w1gn, Department of Economics, Institute for Business and Economic Research, UC Berkeley.
    11. Helen Couclelis & Arthur Getis, 2000. "Conceptualizing and Measuring Accessibility within Physical and Virtual Spaces," Advances in Spatial Science, in: Donald G. Janelle & David C. Hodge (ed.), Information, Place, and Cyberspace, chapter 2, pages 15-20, Springer.
    12. Bruce Katz, 2002. "Smart Growth: The Future of the American Metropolis?," CASE Papers 058, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    13. William F. Lever & Ivan Turok, 1999. "Competitive Cities: Introduction to the Review," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 36(5-6), pages 791-793, May.
    14. Katz, Bruce, 2002. "Smart growth: the future of the American metropolis?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 6387, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Patricia L. Mokhtarian, 1998. "A Synthetic Approach to Estimating the Impacts of Telecommuting on Travel," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 35(2), pages 215-241, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wu, Guoqiang & Hong, Jinhyun & Thakuriah, Piyushimita, 2019. "Assessing the relationships between young adults’ travel and use of the internet over time," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 8-19.
    2. Sergejs Gubins & Jos Ommeren & Thomas Graaff, 2019. "Does new information technology change commuting behavior?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 62(1), pages 187-210, February.
    3. Elizabeth A. Mack, 2014. "Broadband and knowledge intensive firm clusters: Essential link or auxiliary connection?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(1), pages 3-29, March.
    4. Elizabeth A. Mack, 2015. "Variations in the Broadband-Business Connection across the Urban Hierarchy," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 400-423, September.
    5. Genevieve Giuliano & Sanggyun Kang & Quan Yuan, 2019. "Agglomeration economies and evolving urban form," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 63(3), pages 377-398, December.
    6. Yigitcanlar, Tan & Lee, Sang Ho, 2014. "Korean ubiquitous-eco-city: A smart-sustainable urban form or a branding hoax?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 100-114.
    7. repec:asg:wpaper:1025 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Elizabeth A. Mack & Tony H. Grubesic, 2009. "Broadband Provision And Firm Location In Ohio: An Exploratory Spatial Analysis," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 100(3), pages 298-315, July.
    9. Bris, Myriam & Pawlak, Jacek & Polak, John W., 2017. "How is ICT use linked to household transport expenditure? A cross-national macro analysis of the influence of home broadband access," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 231-242.
    10. Mack, Elizabeth A. & Rey, Sergio J., 2014. "An econometric approach for evaluating the linkages between broadband and knowledge intensive firms," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 105-118.
    11. Elizabeth A. Mack & Luc Anselin & Tony H. Grubesic, 2011. "The importance of broadband provision to knowledge intensive firm location," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(1), pages 17-35, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Shu‐Hen Chiang, 2012. "The Source of Metropolitan Growth: The Role of Commuting," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 143-166, March.
    2. Miriam Hortas-Rico & Albert Solé-Ollé, 2010. "Does Urban Sprawl Increase the Costs of Providing Local Public Services? Evidence from Spanish Municipalities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(7), pages 1513-1540, June.
    3. Miriam Hortas-Rico & Albert Solé-Ollé, 2010. "Does Urban Sprawl Increase the Costs of Providing Local Public Services? Evidence from Spanish Municipalities," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(7), pages 1513-1540, June.
    4. Elisabet Viladecans Marsal, 2002. "The growth of cities: Does agglomeration matter?," Working Papers 2002/3, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    5. Tassilo Herrschel, 2013. "Competitiveness AND Sustainability: Can ‘Smart City Regionalism’ Square the Circle?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(11), pages 2332-2348, August.
    6. Ben-Elia, Eran & Alexander, Bayarma & Hubers, Christa & Ettema, Dick, 2014. "Activity fragmentation, ICT and travel: An exploratory Path Analysis of spatiotemporal interrelationships," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 56-74.
    7. Cho, Seong-Hoon & Kim, Seung Gyu & Roberts, Roland K., 2009. "Measuring the Effects of a Land Value Tax on Land Development," 2009 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2009, Atlanta, Georgia 46760, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    8. Sridhar, Kala Seetharam, 2004. "Cities with suburbs: Evidence from India," Working Papers 04/23, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    9. Lee, Juhee & Cho, Seong-Hoon & Kim, Taeyoung & Yu, Tun-Hsiang & Armsworth, Paul Robert, 2015. "Exploring tax-based payment approach for forest carbon sequestration," 2015 Annual Meeting, January 31-February 3, 2015, Atlanta, Georgia 196873, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    10. Sridhar, Kala Seetharam, 2007. "Density gradients and their determinants: Evidence from India," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 314-344, May.
    11. Markus Moos & Andrejs Skaburskis, 2007. "The Characteristics and Location of Home Workers in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 44(9), pages 1781-1808, August.
    12. Laurent Gobillon & Harris Selod & Yves Zenou, 2002. "Spatial Mismatch : From the Hypothesis of the Theories," Working Papers 2002-57, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    13. Francis J. Greene & Paul Tracey & Marc Cowling, 2007. "Recasting the City into City‐Regions: Place Promotion, Competitiveness Benchmarking and the Quest for Urban Supremacy," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 1-22, March.
    14. Elisabet Viladecans Marsal, 2002. "The growth of cities: Does agglomeration matter?," Working Papers 2002/3, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    15. Glaeser, Edward L. & Kahn, Matthew E., 2004. "Sprawl and urban growth," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: J. V. Henderson & J. F. Thisse (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 56, pages 2481-2527, Elsevier.
    16. Padeiro, Miguel, 2013. "Transport infrastructures and employment growth in the Paris metropolitan margins," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 44-53.
    17. Joong-Hwan Oh, 2008. "The Quest to Understand Self-employment in American Metropolitan Areas," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 45(9), pages 1769-1790, August.
    18. Ingrid Gould Ellen & Katherine Hempstead, 2002. "Telecommuting and the Demand for Urban Living: A Preliminary Look at White-collar Workers," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 39(4), pages 749-766, April.
    19. Alexandra Appatova & Patrick Ryan & Grace LeMasters & Sergey Grinshpun, 2008. "Proximal exposure of public schools and students to major roadways: a nationwide US survey," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(5), pages 631-646.
    20. Wanpen Charoentrakulpeeti & Edsel Sajor & Willi Zimmermann, 2006. "Middle‐class Travel Patterns, Predispositions and Attitudes, and Present‐day Transport Policy in Bangkok, Thailand," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(6), pages 693-712, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:inrsre:v:28:y:2005:i:2:p:119-145. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.