Telecommunications and the future of cities: Debunking the myths

This article attempts to debunk five prevailing myths which together are implicit in much of the current debate and rhetoric surrounding telecommunications and the future of cities. These are labelled: the myth of the technological determinism, the myth of urban dissolution, the myth of universal access, the myth of the simple substitution of transport by telecommunications, and the myth of local powerlessness. Each is treated in turn, and for each an attempt is made to build to recent research to develop more sophisticated perspectives of city-telecommunications relations.