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Cities and Computers: Their Architecture

2,226 views · Published 9 February 2011 · 56:05 · Indexed 25 September 2026

Channel: CITRIS and the Banatao Institute · 2011 · Science & Technology

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Speaker: Forrest Warthman, Warthman Associates

Abstract:
City architecture and computer architecture have many similarities in their form and function -- how they are physically built, how their parts interconnect, and how these interconnected parts operate.

Some of these functional similarities are evident from shared words: "gate", "port", "pipeline", and "cache" describe aspects of computer architecture, but the concepts and their first implementation originated in old cities. Other functional similarities are not readily evident. Although we are adept at navigating through cities and using their resources, our understanding of cities is primarily intuitive, unlike our understanding of computer technology which is gained through disciplined study.

Cities can be viewed as machines -- apparatuses that use power and have several interrelated parts, each with a definite function. But instead of performing just one task, as most machines do, cities perform thousands of tasks. In this sense, cities are the biggest and most complex machines on the planet. They are, among other things, the breeding ground for computer technology.

The similarities between cities and computers can provide insights for designers of complex structures in both fields. For example, city architects and engineers who design manufacturing production lines or international airports can exchange useful insights with computer architects who design microprocessors and data-transfer methods.

One useful way to understand similarities is through analogies that compare functions in cities with those in computers. This presentation is a sequence of analogies in the form of pictures and diagrams.


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