| Author: |
Lin, Wen |
| Author affiliations: |
The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee |
| Publication date: |
2009 |
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Abstract:
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This research seeks to reveal the complex process of developing GIS technologies in local governments of urban China. In-depth urban GIS development processes have been largely unexamined in non-Western contexts including that of China, despite the rapid development of GIS in urban China since the mid-1990s. Inspired by studies on social constructions of GIS, this research argues that understanding the complex GIS development process in an organization should be positioned in its situated social conditions, including the social practices and discourses both within and beyond that particular organization. The theoretical framework is derived from a range of literature on critical GIS, GIS diffusion in organizations, politics of scale, network analysis, and governmentality. This study employs a case study research method, in which GIS practices in Shenzhen Citys government agencies are investigated. Shenzhen is an appropriate study site given its significant GIS development in the local authorities during the past decade. Semi-structured interviews, archival research and participant observation are the primary techniques of data collection. This dissertation is composed of three papers. The first paper offers a detailed account of the evolutionary process of urban government GIS developments in Shenzhen. The second paper focuses on the aspect of how organization can act as a node in GIS developments, employing the concept of "scaled networks." The third paper examines the impacts and implications of such GIS constructions in Shenzhens urban governance. In particular, through the notion of "geo-coded landscape," this paper argues that the increasing usage of GIS technologies to monitor urban change and maintain urban environments underscores a new form of geographic governance. This form of governing shifts from the all-encompassing social control in the pre-reform era and attempts to rationalize and capitalize the urban spaces in the face of a more diverse and mobile urban society. This research will contribute to discussions on the intertwining relationship between GIS and society, particularly within the realm of urban governance. Second, this study will add to the sparse literature on GIS development contextualized within non-Western environments. Lastly, the study findings will enable future researchers to compare the social use of GIS technologies in different societal contexts |
| Database: |
书籍类 |