The Advancement of World Digital Cities

This chapter reviews the advancement of several worldwide activities

on regional information spaces empowered by advanced technologies such

as sensors, information terminals, broadband networks and wireless

networks. In the US and Canada, a large number of community networks

supported by grass root activities appeared in the early 1990s. In

Europe, more than one hundred digital cities have been tried, often

supported by local government, central government and EU in the name

of local digitalization. Asian countries have actively adopted the

latest information technologies as a part of national initiatives. In

the past 15 years since the first stage of digital cities, the

development of the original digital cities has leveled off or

stabilized. In spite of that, by looking back at the trajectory of

digital cities, it is clear that digital environments in cities often

benefit from the previous activities on regional information spaces.