Privacy, Predictability or Serendipity and Digital Cities

This paper explores the relationship of unplanned social interaction and the fear associated with current attitudes about cities, both place-based and digital. The symbiotic relationship of the physical and digital city is considered. Specifically, the chapter addresses the three types of infrastructures supporting both physical and digital cities: a) physical infrastructure; b) psycho-social infrastructure and c) regulatory infrastructure. The argument is made that the technology of communication, while extending the ability to transcend locality, accepts and demands control of the environment through surveillance. But in order for the physical and digital city to co-exist, and to offer a choice and quality of life, a degree of controlled unpredictability is required.