Abstract
As the world is becoming both digital and urban, cyberspace advancements pose a serious challenge to the study of modern cities’ development. This research work stresses the importance of investigating the intervention and effectiveness of public policies and agencies that involve the development of the cyberspace in urban restructuring. Thus, the present paper reviews and analyzes the deployment of urban cyberspace policy initiatives in Manchester, during the 1989–1999 decade, reflecting critically upon the questions raised from the literature regarding the cyberspace paradigm in urban policy and planning.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- BT:
-
British Telecom
- CAB:
-
Citizens Advice Bureau
- CeeC:
-
Centre of Expertise in electronic Commerce
- CER—MMU:
-
Centre for Employment Research—Manchester Metropolitan University
- CIDS:
-
Cultural Industries Development Service
- DDS:
-
De Digitale Stant (Digital City Amsterdam)
- DoE:
-
Department of Environment
- DTI:
-
Department of Trade and Industry
- EC:
-
European Commission
- EIG—MCC:
-
Economic Initiatives Group—Manchester City Council
- ERDF:
-
European Regional Development Funds
- ESF:
-
European Structural Funds
- EVH:
-
Electronic Village Halls
- EU:
-
European Union
- G-MING:
-
Greater Manchester Information Network Group
- ICT:
-
Information and Communication Technology
- IDEA:
-
Innovation in Digital and Electronic Arts
- IRISI:
-
Inter-Regional Information Society Initiative (EU)
- MAGIC:
-
Manchester Gateway to Information for the Community
- MAN:
-
Metropolitan Area Network
- MaNAP:
-
Manchester Network Access Point
- MCC:
-
Manchester City Council
- MCIN:
-
Manchester Community Information Network
- MIPC:
-
Manchester Institute for Popular Culture (Manchester Metropolitan University)
- MITER:
-
Manchester Institute for Telematics and Employment Research (former CER; Manchester Metropolitan University)
- MMCN:
-
Manchester Multimedia Centre and Network
- MMU:
-
Manchester Metropolitan University
- MTTP:
-
Manchester Telematics and Teleworking Partnership
- MUWIC:
-
Multimedia for Women in the Cultural Industries
- NQN:
-
Northern Quarter Network
- NWNMN:
-
North West New Media Network
- SMEs:
-
Small and Medium Enterprises
- UCP:
-
Urban Cyberspace Planning
References
Basker, S. (1992). Women Training at the Electronic Village Halls in Manchester, as part of the “New Opportunities for Women” Project, Centre for Employment Research; Manchester Metropolitan University: Manchester.
Blanchard, S. (1999). The Northern Quarter Network: A Case Study of Internet Based Cultural Business Support, A Report prepared for the Information for Cultural Industries Support Services (ICISS) Project; Manchester Institute for Popular Culture: Manchester-Metropolitan University, Manchester (www.mmu.ac.uk/h-ss/mipc).
CEC. (1998). European Digital Cities—Good Practice Case Studies: Final Report, EC, DGXIII-C, EDCN Office: Brussels.
Cornford, J. and Naylor, R. (1998). European Digital Cities Network: Good Practice Case Studies—Final Report, EC: DGXIII, EDCN Office; CURDS: Newcastle, UK.
Ducatel, K. and Halfpenny, P. (1993). “Telematics for the Community? An Electronic Village Hall for East Manchester,” Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 11, 367–379.
Gibbs, D. and Leach, B. (1994). “Telematics in Local Economic Development: The Case of Manchester,” Tidschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 85(3), 209–233.
Graham, S. (1992). “Electronic Infrastructures and the City: Some Emerging Municipal Policy Roles in the UK,” Urban Studies, 29(5): 755–781.
Graham, S. (1996). A Comparative Cross-National Study of Telecommunications Policy Innovation: The Cases of Manchester Host and Roubaix Euroteleport Initiatives, Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis submitted at the PREST-University of Manchester; Manchester, UK.
Graham, S. (1999). “Towards Urban Cyberspace Planning: Grounding the Global through Urban Telematics Policy and Planning,” in Downey, J. and McGuigan, J. (Eds.) Technocities, pp. 9–33, London: Sage.
Graham, S. and Marvin S. (1999). Planning Cyber-Cities? Integrating Telecommunications into Urban Planning, Town Planning Review, Jan. 1999.
Harvey, P., Green, S., & Agar, J. (2000). “The Imperative to Connect and the Importance of Place: The Social Contexts of Virtual Manchester,” in ESRC (2000): Virtual Society? The Social Science of Electronic Technologies: Profile 2000, pp. 11–13, Economic and Social Research Council: Swindon; www.virtualsociety.org.uk.
IBM (1997): Down-to-Earth Vision: Community Based IT Initiatives and Social Inclusion, IBM United Kingdom Limited: London; available also at: www.uk.ibm.com/community/uk171.html, 17 August 2001.
Leach, B. (1997). Manchester’s Electronic Village Halls (EVHs), available at www.mmu.ac.uk/h-ss/sis/evh.htm.
Manchester City Council. (1998). Manchester’s Telematic Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee, Social and Urban Strategy Sub Committee; Manchester City Council: Manchester.
Moss, L. M. and Townsend, M. A. (1998) How Telecommunications is Transforming Urban Spaces, Project on Information Technology and the Future of Urban Environments; Taub Urban Research Center, New York University, March 1998: www.informationcity.org
Remenyi, D. and Williams, B. (1995). Some Aspects of Methodology for Research in Information Systems, Journal for Information Technology, 10, 191–201.
Telegeography (2003) Global Internet Geography 2003, Primetrica Inc, www.telegeography.com.
Verwijnen, J. (1998) The Creative City as Field Condition. Can Urban Innovation and Creativity Overcome Bureaucracy and Technocracy?, Built Environment, 24(2/3), 142–154.
Yin, R. (1994): Case Study Research: Design and Methods, SAGE: London.
Zook, M.A. (2000) The Web of Production: The Economic Geography of Commercial Internet Content Production in the United States, Environment and Planning A, 32, 411–426.
Additional information
Vassilys Fourkas graduated in Civil Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessalonica in 1993 and he then followed a post-graduate research program in the area of computer-simulation techniques in urban planning, at the University of Venice-Dept. of Architecture-DAEST/Italy. He is currently working at the Egnatia Odos SA, as the Head of the Observatory Unit which is concerned with the measurement, evaluation and study of spatial impacts caused by the Egnatia motorway (a TEN, EU-funded project). His academic and research interest focuses on the issues of virtual geography, urban cyberspace planning and virtual cities in relation to modern urban regeneration strategies and plans in European Union. In September 2003 he received a post-doctorate grant from the Greek government (Greek State Scholarship Foundation) to carry out a research project regarding the development of Greek cities over cyberspace.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fourkas, V. Urban cyberspace policy initiatives in Manchester, UK, 1989–1999. Know Techn Pol 18, 86–111 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12130-005-1017-8
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12130-005-1017-8