Philosophical context and questions about the future of technological revolution in architecture and urbanism: ecological, economic, sociological progress or a step back

Abstract

This paper elaborates the problems which science and the profession are facing, in relation to the development of new technologies in the function of smart cities in architecture and urbanism.What high technologies bring to us, and what they deprive us of, is increasingly becoming a sociological and philosophical question. On the other hand, the development of new technologies has contributed to the great progress of cities around the world, but it is often a kind of illusion. Reality has been replaced by virtual reality. Economic power, consumerism and profit have become a new ideology in many areas, and it is especially visible in construction. The position of investors and politicians, in fierce competition for prestige and gaining material profit through fast and low-quality construction in cities, is becoming an important segment in the strategy of many, especially developed countries. New technologies, sustainable development, new concepts in urban planning and participative processes are visible, but often powerless to face the demands of big capital and economic arguments, which impose a new paradigm not only in planning, but in all spheres of society. This paper will present new tendencies in smart city solutions.