Urban Machine

At the beginning of the 21st century digital technology disrupted city life. The use of ICTs (information and communication technologies) has radically changed the way we inhabit and operate in the urban space. Over the last few decades an increasingly collaborative and interdisciplinary work developed by architects, artists, urban and media designers has defined a particular landscape of projects that engage information technology as a catalytic tool for expanding, augmenting and altering public and social interactions in the urban space. Through essays, case studies and conversations, this book aims to present a critical historical overview of the impact of information technologies on the physical public space while providing an inspiring vision of possible future scenarios for the public realm in a digital culture.

Marcella Del Signore is an architect, urbanist, scholar and the principal of X-Topia, a design-research practice that explores the intersection of architecture and urbanism with digital practices. She is an Associate Professor at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), School of Architecture and Design.

Gernot Riether is the Director of the School of Architecture and Associate Professor at the College of Architecture and Design at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). His research explores the relationship between public urban spaces and information technology.