Urbanism in the Digital Age

Offers a groundbreaking perspective on the future of urban studies

Urbanism in the Digital Age provides an essential, paradigm-shifting framework for understanding contemporary urban life. Author Mark Gottdiener redefines the study of urbanism by shifting the focus from traditional city-centered models to the Multi-Centered Metropolitan Region (MCMR), a revolutionary approach that integrates regional dynamics, digital media, and socioeconomic structures. This book challenges long-standing theories, critiques dominant neoliberal policies, and provides innovative solutions to critical contemporary issues.

Through an interdisciplinary synthesis of Lefebvrian and Castellsian perspectives, Gottdiener dissects the limitations of classical Marxist and city-centric urban theories while presenting new methodologies for analyzing spatial and social problems. Exploring the interplay between digital media, economic forces, and regional development, 14 in-depth chapters incorporate historical analysis, census data, and case studies to illustrate real-world applications.

Presenting a bold new vision for addressing spatial inequalities, rethinking governance, and fostering sustainable urban transformation, Urbanism in the Digital Age:

• Critiques traditional city-centered urban studies and offers a unique and new perspective based on a regional, digital-age approach.
• Analyzes the impacts of digital media and neoliberal governance on spatial and social inequalities
• Examines pressing urban crises, such as affordable housing, transportation, racial segregation, climate change, homelessness, and the crisis effects of draconian Neoliberal policies.
• Proposes innovative policy solutions for urban planning, sustainability, and regional development
• Investigates the role of architecture, urban planning and thematic environments in shaping urban experiences and fighting climate change.

Urbanism in the Digital Age is an indispensable resource for students and scholars in urban studies, sociology, geography, political science, architecture, and urban planning. It is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses on urbanism, social problems, and public policy, and a must-read for policymakers and professionals engaged in urban development and regional planning.

MARK GOTTDIENER is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York at Buffalo and a pioneering urban theorist. He developed the socio-spatial perspective on urbanization and is the author of The Social Production of Urban Space and The New Urban Sociology. His influential research on theming, spatial analysis, and urban theory continues to influence urban studies worldwide.