Urban Implications of Information Technology/New Electronics for Developing Countries

Abstract

By providing a conceptual framework for urban implications of information technology/new electronics (IT/NE) across developing nations, we suggest that the rise of IT/NE has a mixed effect within and across spaces, nations, and regions. The new technologies have created a new economic paradigm that is affecting virtually every aspect of production and consumption. Acting as a technological wave, IT/NE is intensifying social, economic, and spatial polarization. Whereas some urban areas are benefiting from this most recent technological revolution, the IT/NE gap is exacerbating the development problems faced by urban and rural areas in many developing nations, as well as in some parts of advanced countries. Yet the IT/NE gap and its urban manifestations are more the result than the cause of the underdevelopment/development dichotomy. Thus, the provision of a more equal telecommunication access to world citizens as championed by various development circles will not in itself alleviate underdevelopment and urban problems faced by many developing nations. The IT/NE effect goes beyond individuals being connected or switched off, as access to telecommunications is but one of the manifold issues that contribute to polarization. We suggest that urban areas able to embrace the whole paradigm are reaping the full benefits of

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