City Structure in Transition: A Conceptual Discourse on the Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Abstract

With the technological advancement of ICT, the cities of the world are becoming so dependent that ICT is challenging the conventional ideas and classic theories of city structure. The cities of the world are undergoing a transition that is caused by the shift of principle from ‘physical movement’ to ‘virtual movement’. The state-of-the-art ICT featured by internet and e-commerce (Business-to-Commerce - B2C) is facilitating such shift which influences in changing the conventional ideas and structure of CBD, core business areas, city center, etc. Though the magnitude of influence on the transition process is yet to be known, there is an obvious transition that almost all cities of the world are experiencing. This book chapter conceptually discusses and portrays the potential changes in the conventional city structure by analyzing three classic city models (i.e., multi-nuclei, concentric and sector models), exploring the technological advancement in ICT and increasing dependencies on it and by drawing evidence from a pilot case study. This chapter argues that ICT induced change in the city structure, which we may call ‘future city’ or ‘transitional city’, would bring positive impacts on the physical and social environment, competitive land and transportation system in the city.