Babylonian Dreams: From Info-Cities to Smart Cities to Experimental Collectivism

In the 1990s the controversy about the dangers but also possibilities of data networks was influenced by a concern about the spatial transformation they cause. As a consequence, the alleged decline of cities began to overlap with the emerging discourse about network technologies. The following paper examines this debate using the example of Info-Cities as a spatial metaphor to describe data space. Retracing this technotopia back to the early stage of network building should help us to better understand current discussions on ubiquitous computing in urban environments, and, finally, allow us to re-imagine digital networks as complex, heterogeneous and transversal structures.