High-Tech Urban Spaces: Asian and European Perspectives

High-Tech Urban Spaces: Asian and European Perspectives

By- C. Ramachandraiah, A.C.M. Van Westen and Sheela Prasad (eds)

Published in association with Indo-Dutch Programme on

Alternatives in Development

The rise of ICT-related service industries is not only changing India’s economy, but also reconfiguring its urban landscapes. This volume looks at the emergence of ‘high-tech’ India, together with ‘high-tech’ experiences in select Asian and European countries, from the
perspective of geographers and other scholars interested in how society uses and transforms urban space. In most cities, spectacular new business districts are created; emphasizing difference by means of spatial separation from the rest of the city and a distinct style of architecture.

Specific high-tech spaces first appeared in Western cities in the 1970s. In the last few decades, these high-tech spaces have spread around the world, producing distinct urban landscapes and spatial patterns. These differences reflect local conditions, as well as the demands made by leading companies, and the ambitions of local politicians that determine the ICT policies. The ICT and other high-tech industries offer opportunities for economic growth and development, but can also trigger social exclusion, uproot communities, widen urban disparities and more generally add to urbanization problems of pressure on infrastructure.

This book takes a comparative approach in discussing the engagement of high-tech industries and urban space, and the associated problems and challenges. It presents a range of case studies of Indian cities, and also documents experiences in other Asian countries such as China, Malaysia, Korea and Singapore, and European countries like The Netherlands and France.

C. Ramachandraiah is an Associate Professor in Geography at Centre for Economic and
Social Studies, Hyderabad. His research interests are urban environment, urban water and information technology & cities.

A.C.M. van Westen is a Development Geographer with the Urban & Regional Research Centre (URU) of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. His main area of research is regional development in Asia.

Sheela Prasad is Professor and Head, Centre for Regional Studies, University of Hyderabad. A geographer, her research interests are interdisciplinary and include urban and regional geography, environment and health.

ISBN  81-7304-773-1    2008   394p.   Rs.995/ pounds 55

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