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| FROM GEOGRAPHICAL SPACE TO COMPOSITE SPACE-The Urban Space under the Influence of Information Networks |
| ZHANG Nan-nan, Gu Chao-lin |
| Department of Urbna & Resources Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China |
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Abstract Telecommunication and computer science are deeply changing human society. They are altering our cities, influencing urban life patterns, spatial functions, spatial forms and spatial structures. Both geographical space and virtual space act as carriers of economic, cultural and social activities of urban residents. Therefore, we have to do research on their relationship of coincidence, interaction and interlacement. Since 1960, scholars of the entire world have conducted the research on urban development and its vicissitude under the influence of information and network technologies from different prospects. At present, the study on how information technology influences urban space can be concluded in two areas. One is geographical space evolution, and the other is study on virtual space or cyberspace. The investigation into influence of information technology on urban space demonstrated that, in fact, information and telecommunication tech enhance the differences among different levels of cities;that electric space alters the urban development mode and relationship between cities and their contingence regions, and that the era of information helps establish a new urban-hierarchy system. As for the evolution of inner urban space, scholars describe the influence of information tech on the areas of urban functions, urban life, urban forms and urban structure. Furthermore, cyberspace has begun to take a social and geographical meaning. It points out that though cyberspace is not a Descartes Space consisting of dots, lines and planes, it has a special spatial meaning. Based on the differences in geography, virtual space seldom touches on spatial structure and form. Scholars focus on the studies of its social meaning. For ex ample, communications on the Internet can help to recover the community consciousness. On the analysis of the urban present and forecast of its future, these researches focus on the evolutionary trend of urban group space, urban spatial structure, land-use pattern and urban culture under the influence of information network. Urban space in an information society is a composite space constructed by interlace and interaction of the two types of space. Information network is a bridge leading to the future society of intelligence.
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Received: 07 September 2000
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2002, Vol. 17 
