A PROGRESS REPORT ON PLATFORM URBANISM RESEARCH IN WESTERN SOCIETIES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
LI Zhen-ting1, LIU Chen2
1. School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai 528478, China; 2. School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Abstract:This paper outlines the definition of platform urbanism and main research foci around this conception, and then suggests future directions of platform city studies in the Chinese context on the basis of a review of existing Anglophone literature on the digital-urban interfaces. The idea of platform urbanism emphasizes that the interaction of platform and city assembles a platform ecosystem. The research of platform urbanism from the perspective of political economy not only focuses on the platformization of urban social activities and the related problems caused by the dominance of technological capital, but also emphasizes the agencies of digital platforms, public authorities and users co-constitute the operation of platforms in urban lives. The research of platform urbanism from the ‘digital mundane' perspective highlights the complex dynamics, diverse experiences and values embedded in the daily encounters with digital platforms and their services. Thus, the key insight of the platform urbanism approach offers a new scope to understand the process of digitally mediated urban spatialities and its socio-material consequences. The platformization of cities in China is in the stage of rapid progress. However, current ICT studies developed by Chinese geographers overwhelmingly adopt a technological solutionism view, ignoring the nuanced interactions of platform and city. This progress report suggests that adopting platform urbanism approach can offer Chinese human geographical studies a more comprehensive way to understand the development of platform cities in China.
黎镇霆, 刘晨. 西方平台城市主义研究进展与启示[J]. 人文地理, 2024, 39(2): 1-10,144.
LI Zhen-ting, LIU Chen. A PROGRESS REPORT ON PLATFORM URBANISM RESEARCH IN WESTERN SOCIETIES AND ITS IMPLICATIONS. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2024, 39(2): 1-10,144.
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