"Ciberciudades? Informática y gestión urbana (Cybercities? Information and the urban question)

THIS BOOK IS part of a series of books on social development issues published by Argentina’s largest university, which are written both for an academic readership and for a wider public. The book should also be of interest to those working in Argentina’s municipalities as they deal with the impact of technological change on the changing practice of urban management. The book results from a research project on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the management of urban services and infrastructure in Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital city. These experiences are contrasted with the case of Toronto, Canada, a city which has developed a policy framework for the gradual introduction of ICT. The authors’ intentions are to show that an effective ICT policy depends not so much on an abundance of resources as on the political will and on changes in the organizational culture of municipal institutions.

The book is divided into six chapters. An introductory chapter outlining the methodology is followed by Chapter 2, which discusses the role of technological innovation and the application of ICT to areas such as infrastructure and public utilities, education and culture, health, community participation, urban transport and the urban environment. It also assesses its potential in supporting administrative decentralization to lower layers of government. The following chapter discusses the implementation of an ICT policy in Buenos Aires, whilst Chapter 4 examines the case of Toronto. Chapter 5 contrasts the two cases, particularly from the viewpoint of differences in their organizational cultures. A final chapter concludes with a reflection on the institutional and administrative factors behind technological change.