Manuel Castells: from neighbourhood struggle to network city

Manuel Castells, a Spanish sociologist, is one of the most influential figures in the study of cities, urban social movements, and the relationship between technology and urbanism. His key work The Urban Question (1972) marked a turning point in the critical analysis of urban space, proposing a new way of understanding cities and their social dynamics. Castells approached urbanism from a sociological perspective and introduced an analysis of how technological and economic transformations shape urban life—topics that would become central to his later academic work. One of Castells’ most important contributions is his study of urban social movements.

Unlike traditional approaches that viewed these movements as isolated or temporary reactions, Castells interpreted them as structural responses to power dynamics within the city. He argues that these movements emerge as reactions to living conditions shaped by urban capitalism, where decisions about housing, access to services, and the distribution of space are driven by economic interests rather than the needs of citizens. For Castells, urban social movements not only demand better material conditions but also challenge the way cities are organized and governed. In his later work, Castells developed the concept of the “networked city” to explain how globalization and advances in information technologies have reconfigured urban life.

From protest to the network city

Instead of being autonomous and closed entities, contemporary cities are increasingly interconnected through global networks of information, capital, and people. This connectivity has transformed how cities function, enabling global flows of knowledge and resources, but it has also intensified inequalities between those who have access to these networks and those who remain excluded. Castells emphasizes that cities are key nodes in the global network, and their ability to prosper depends largely on their integration into these systems. Another central theme in Castells’ work is the informational economy, a concept he develops in his trilogy The Information Age (1996–1998).

Castells argues that new technologies have profoundly transformed the economic structure, with knowledge and information becoming the primary resources of the global economy. This informational economy has direct implications for urban development: cities that successfully adapt to this new reality can become centers of innovation and prosperity, while those that fail to adapt risk marginalization. Castells stresses that technology is not neutral and that its implementation in cities must be accompanied by policies that promote equity and universal access to these new resources. Castells has also examined how technology has changed social interaction in urban environments.

Social interaction transformed

As digital networks become an integral part of everyday life, people increasingly connect and interact through virtual spaces, reshaping patterns of social interaction and civic participation. Castells studies how these communication technologies have enabled new forms of social organization, including social movements that use digital platforms to mobilize large groups of people and coordinate protests on a global scale. This networked city allows new forms of solidarity and collective action, but it also raises important concerns about privacy, surveillance, and control over information. In summary, Manuel Castells has made fundamental contributions to the study of cities, technology, and urban social movements.

His work has reshaped how we understand cities—not only as physical places but as social and economic spaces deeply shaped by global information networks. Through his analysis of the informational economy and urban movements, Castells invites us to reflect on how the cities of the future must adapt to these transformations in order to become more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable.