Hyperurbanism?

When urbocentrism is combined with technological and economic power, it takes on the character of an unstoppable force.

1 minute read

December 17, 2004, 11:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"[R]ealise that urbocentrism (the late modern concentration of power, resources, capital and culture in the city) is being displaced by the emergent, even more aggressive condition of hyperurbanism (existing concentrations combined with a newly invigorated and massively increased proliferation of the power of the urban beyond the space of the city).

...Hyperurbanism recognises that the urban has become an extremely powerful designing idea, not just of the forms and spaces of built fabric everywhere, but equally of psychologies, cultural dispositions and life-worlds that are beyond its visible boundaries. This means that the environmental impacts of the city can no longer be determined via the idea of it having a footprint."

Thanks to ArchNewsNow

Thursday, December 16, 2004 in Design Philosophy

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

September 16, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A crowd of people boarding Boston's green line in an underground subway station.

Boston has spent millions making the Green Line more accessible — and there’s no end in sight

While the city has invested millions into expanding and adding platforms to the Green Line to make it more accessible, new train cars set to arrive next year will be too tall for disabled passengers to board without raising the current platforms.

1 hour ago - Boston Globe

Railroad tracks in Idaho passing a home by a river.

Idaho may see an 18% drop in federal surface transit funding — the largest estimated cut in the US

Transit systems in rural communities are much more reliant on federal funding to provide their services.

2 hours ago - Grist

A Florida family with their belongings in a wagon walks past a destroyed storm after a hurricane.

How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities

After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.

3 hours ago - Inside Climate News