CONNECTING SETS: A REVIEW OF THE COLLECTIVE MONOGRAPH: CITY NETWORKS: PEOPLE. TECHNOLOGIES. AUTHORITIES / ED. E. G. LAPINA-KRATASYUK, O. N. ZAPOROZHETS, A. VOZYANOV. M.: NOVOE LITERARY OBZRENIE, 2021. 576 p.

Abstract

This review focuses on the collective monograph "City Networks: People. Technologies. Power," published in 2021 by the STUDIA URBANICA series of Novoye Literary Obozreniye Publishing House. It examines the diversity of positions regarding the current state of research into the technological and digital environment of people's lives in modern cities. It demonstrates that urban complexity and multiplicity require a constant effort to maintain focus on the holistic object of study, "the city." For this reason, the editors of the monograph chose to use the established metaphor of "network" to describe the diversity of technologically mediated interactions. Furthermore, the authors note that such common concepts as "smart city," "digital city," "smart city," and "technological city" are extremely problematic for academic disciplines due to their widespread use in management and marketing. Each individual section of the monograph attempts to uncover a specific aspect of social interaction based on emerging or expanding digital, information, or communication technologies in the city. At the same time, the book's overall intention is to overcome the widespread technocentricity in the study of contemporary cities. This monograph is intended for urban researchers, readers seeking to explore new issues, students studying urban studies or urban sociology, architects and urban designers, and activists.