Urban cyberspace as a social construction: Non-technological factors in the shaping of Digital Bristol

Abstract

This paper describes how an example of 'digital city' initiative in Europe was conceived and shaped in its early phases of development. The paper deals with Digital City Bristol, and looks at its deployment from a social constructivist perspective, focusing on the actors involved in the initiative, and the processes of interpretation and negotiation they went through in order to define a mutually agreeable configuration of the digital city. In particular the competing visions of a two-way, participative urban Cyberspace, versus a more one-way, broadcasting facility, are highlighted. The case study describes how actors' needs and interpretations in the early stages of the digital city have influenced its future trajectory towards a 'portal'-like configuration. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.