“We have lost fear of getting lost in the urban environment. New entanglements with artificial systems mean our experience of the urban is changing.” – Mariano Gomez-Luque
I’m learning that the ways in which humans engage with artificial systems and urban environments are far more intricate than I had imagined. These entanglements redefine how we experience the urban, pushing us to reconsider the boundaries of cities and the technologies that shape them. The discussions and readings brought into focus the ways urbanization and computation are entangled, showing me how they are reshaping not just landscapes but also the frameworks of thought and action.
One of the most striking concepts, in my opinion, was Neil Brenner’s idea of planetary condition, which challenges the way I traditionally understood urbanization. Cities are no longer isolated entities. They extend into the hinterlands and even the wilderness, forming sprawling mega-regions that blur the boundaries between urban and rural. This poetic interconnection reflects a broader process of urban transformation that is no longer localized but planetary in scale. Through this lens, I see that the city becomes a site of global entanglement, driven by the forces of commodification.
What really stood out for me was how these changes are deeply intertwined with neoliberal capitalism, a system that prioritizes growth, deregulation, and privatization. While we didn’t focus specifically on capitalism in class, its shadow looms large over urbanization as well as technology. It drives the relentless push for expansion, integrating not only cities but also remote areas into the global economic network. I came to see urbanization as not just a physical transformation but a symptom of broader economic and technological processes.
As we discussed planetary-scale systems, the concept of planetary-scale computation became central to my understanding of how technology reshapes urban environments. These systems, while impressive in their scope, carry both promise and peril. In class, we explored how terraforming, a term borrowed from science fiction, represents a powerful metaphor for rethinking the planet’s future. It suggests not only the physical alteration of environments but also the potential of computation to reimagine the systems that sustain life on Earth.
Through this subject, I’ve come to see technology as more than a tool. It is a critical partner in shaping our experience of the urban. Katherine Hayles’ insights into hybrid literacy particularly resonated with me. Her idea of hybridization, where traditional forms of knowledge blend with machine-assisted methodologies, made me reflect on how education and literacy evolve in tandem with technology. This concept aligns closely with the critical nexus we explored in class. I found myself thinking of hybridization not only as a method of learning but also as a framework for living in an increasingly interconnected and computationally mediated world.
As we navigated these complex ideas, the notion of the zone of proximal development helped me understand the importance of collaboration in learning. This concept, rooted in educational theory, showed how guidance and shared exploration can elevate understanding. It struck me that the very structure of this class mirrored this idea, as you unpacked these intricate concepts with us and showcased real-world scenarios.
The planetary scale of these discussions brought forward the tension between urban expansion and its ecological consequences. The class showed me how cities encroach upon the hinterland and the wilderness, absorbing these spaces into sprawling networks of human activity. The readings on planetary urbanization underscored the need to think beyond traditional urban boundaries, as cities are no longer isolated but part of vast interconnected mega-regions.
This class challenged me to rethink the urban as a dynamic, evolving process rather than a static entity. It also deepened my understanding of how tools like planetary-scale computation reflect humanity’s desire to understand and manage the systems we inhabit. I’ve come to see computation as both a mirror and an amplifier of human creativity, with the power to inspire new ways of thinking about the future of urban life.
Ultimately, this subject is teaching me that urbanization and technological systems are deeply entangled. However, I feel this is only the beginning of a larger conversation. As we move into the second term, I look forward to seeing how these ideas might unfold in more conceptual and visual ways. Engaging with film and text offers an opportunity to prioritize storytelling, symbolism, and emotional resonance. I’m curious to see how visual media might deepen the complexities of these entanglements in ways that go beyond text alone. This next phase feels like an invitation to reimagine and expand the frameworks we’ve begun to build.
- Commodification – Transforming goods, services, or spaces into marketable items with economic value.
- Critical Nexus – A key intersection where different forces, ideas, or systems converge and interact.
- Hinterland – Remote or less-developed areas surrounding or supporting urban regions.
- Hybridization – The blending of different systems, methods, or forms, such as human and machine collaboration.
- Mega-Region – A large, interconnected urban area spanning multiple cities and hinterlands.
- Neoliberal Capitalism – Economic model that emphasizes free markets, privatization, as well as deregulation.
- Planetary Condition – State where urbanization globalization affect the entire planet, dissolving its traditional boundaries.
- Computation – computational systems managing global data flows and infrastructures. Terraforming: Re-configuring both physical and conceptual environments, to suit human needs or visions.
- Wilderness – Untamed natural landscapes untouched by human development. Zone of Proximal Development: The range where learning is most effective through guidance or collaboration
