Author(s)

A. Katsara

Abstract

This paper concerns the impacts of new technologies on urban morphology, structure and landscape. More specifically, it investigates two aspects of impacts: (a) the change of urban morphology in contemporary cities by means of computer-aided architectural design and construction techniques, and (b) the shift of the spatial core and the expansion of the CBD in the post-industrial cities by means of the emerging new clusters of technology intensive and knowledge based firms in inner city areas. The research documents these impacts of new technologies by illustrating examples of metropolitan cities located in both the economic core and the periphery of Europe, such as Milan, Barcelona and Athens. Keywords: new technologies, urban morphology, urban landscape, computeraided architectural design and construction techniques, clusters of technologyintensive and knowledge-based firms. 1 Introduction Major changes in the economic activity of post-industrial cities under the conditions of economic globalisation, technological developments in the new sectors of information and communication and the rapid growth of transportation and communications networks, influence the spatial, social and economic structure of cities. Urban space gets restructured through the changes of economic reformation of cities and in the new patterns of social life of people. All over the world, metropolitan and large cities make efforts to re-define place and their identity. They also make efforts to reinforce their status in the global

Keywords

new technologies, urban morphology, urban landscape, computeraided architectural design and construction techniques, clusters of technologyintensive and knowledge-based firms.