Parag Khanna's connectography: urban networks in the 21st century
The article examines the role of global cities and new urban forms, which Khanna considers as the main centres of the new emerging world order. Khanna argues that the new "connectography" is functional geography that becomes more important than traditional political geography. He predicts the advent of the era of connectivity. Connectivity is a physical thing because it means infrastructure: roads and bridges, energy networks, the Internet, and so on. Cities, separated by hundreds of kilometers, are connecting into multi-city clusters. These new urban forms become the main factors of economic growth. Megacities, new transportation corridors, power grids and connectivity technologies are replicating the map of the world, where instead of state borders there are connections provided with infrastructure. Humankind is actually transformed into a global networked civilisation, in which the key role is played by cities. In this world, national boundaries are nothing but irritants that can be overcome. The process of devolution accompanies urbanisation and expansion of the territory and the growth of the influence of new urban forms. Devolution leads to the erosion of traditional boundaries and the emergence of new urban formations. Multi-city clusters become decision-making centres that are more interested in developing connections and networks than in restricting territories and participating in conflicts. Conflicts have a negative impact on connectivity, and, therefore, are disadvantageous to those who extract profit from connectivity. Khanna argues that new energy discoveries and innovations have eliminated the need for resource wars, global financial assets are being deployed to build productive infrastructure. We are accelerating into a future shaped less by countries than by connectivity. Humankind has a new maxim - Connectivity is destiny. Khanna argues that the most connected powers, countries and cities will win in the new world order.
Keywords
урбанистика,
глобальные города,
связанность,
деволюция,
функциональная география,
urban studies,
global cities,
connectivity,
devolution,
functional geographyAuthors
| Vershinina Inna A. | Lomonosov Moscow State University | urbansociology@yandex.ru |
Всего: 1
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