Cities in the Third Wave

The Technological Transformation of Urban America

This fully updated edition surveys the remarkable transformation that is taking place in urban America. Arguing that technology has both created and recast cities throughout history, Leonard I. Ruchelman explores how cities are being affected by new technology and how they will evolve in the future. Countries such as the United States and Japan have passed through the preindustrial and industrial stages of urban development and have now entered the stage of post-industrialism—what the Tofflers called the "third wave."

Considering key questions, Ruchelman asks: How do the computer and communications technologies that are fueling an information economy affect cities and suburbs? How do urban places adapt to changing conditions brought about by deindustrialization and the globalization of business enterprise? What kinds of strategies do they devise to attract and retain investment and jobs? Why do some cities appear to prosper in the new postindustrial era while others become victims? Helping students understand what it will take for their cities, and other cities around the world, to survive and even thrive in this fast-moving environment, this book will be a valuable supplement for a range of courses in urban studies.