Network-based theories Gabriel Dupuy applied
network theory to the field of urbanism and suggests that the single dominant characteristic of modern urbanism is its networked character, as opposed to segregated conceptions of space (i.e.
zones, boundaries and edges).
Stephen Graham and
Simon Marvin argue that we are witnessing a post-urban environment where decentralized, loosely connected
neighborhoods and zones of activity assume the former organizing role played by urban spaces. Their theory of
splintering urbanism involves the "fragmentation of the social and material fabric of cities" into "cellular clusters of
globally connected high-service enclaves and network
ghettos" driven by electronic networks that segregate as much as they connect. Dominique Lorrain argues that the process of splintering urbanism began towards the end of the 20th century with the emergence of the
gigacity, a new form of a networked city characterised by three-dimensional size, network density and the blurring of city boundaries.
Manuel Castells suggested that within a
network society, "premium" infrastructure networks (high-speed
telecommunications,
"smart" highways,
global airline networks) selectively connect together the most favored users and places and bypass the less favored. Paul L. Knox refers to one of many trends in contemporary urbanism as the "
aestheticization of
everyday life". Alex Krieger states that
urban design is less a technical discipline than a
mind-set based on a commitment to cities. Mohammad Habib Reza — architect and urban theorist who introduced New Contextualism, an urban and architectural philosophy that grounds design in layered contexts such as cultural, ecological, historical, and social, while promoting equity, belonging, and sustainability. Other contemporary urbanists such as
Edward Soja and
Liz Ogbu focus on urbanism as a field for applying principles of
community building and
spatial justice. ==See also==