The Role of Cyberspace and the New Information and Communication Technologies in the Improvement of the Sustainability of the Urban Habitat

Abstract

This chapter discusses the emergence of cyberspace and the impact of new information and communication technologies in the configuration of cities in order to improve the sustainability of urban habitat. The population growth and the emerging concentration of people in urban centers, combined with the degradation of natural resources, have increased the concern about the environment and sustainability in the cities. From the global interconnection of computers occur the new relations of communication. The advances in new technologies are seen as promising aid for the organization of spaces/activities, aiming the rationalizing of energy consumption and other natural resources, and mitigation of negative effects of the accentuated urbanization that impact on the planet. In the urban thematic, the issues of density and mobility stand out as transformations of the landscape and the environment. Currently, the amount and speed of information exchanges, with new and ubiquitous ways of interaction, enhance and expand the space and contemporary experiences, leading to the reconfiguration of urban spaces and social practices, governed by the real and immediate time in the global world.