Speaker
Description
The relationship between the economic cycles inherent in capitalist systems and technological innovations, including digital platforms, is a critical topic in both classical and political economic approaches to urban economics and planning. Digital platforms, such as those involved in sharing economies (e.g., Airbnb, Uber), remote working platforms, and recently AI platforms, have become essential components of urban economies. However, their elasticity in the face of economic downturns and capitalist crises remains understudied. Traditional economic models struggle to account for the unique dynamics these platforms introduce into urban landscapes. While these platforms are often seen as solutions to various economic and social problems, their capacity to withstand economic instability, through phenomena such as diminishing returns and large-scale capitalist crises (K-cycles), is a significant but under-explored issue. This research aims to address the gap in understanding the response of digital platforms to economic cycles and their broader implications for cities.
These platforms interact with urban development and planning in novel ways, complicating traditional analyses of economic downturns. The impacts of these platforms have far-reaching consequences, from influencing housing affordability and employment to shaping how cities recover from economic shocks.
To address these issues, I introduce and apply the theoretical concept of the cybernetic capital cycle, a framework drawn from my work on the interactions between economic systems and digital platforms. My research analyses the responses of digital platforms across seven cities from diverse contexts and countries, examining their role in both contributing to and mitigating the effects of economic downturns and capitalist crises. These cities, Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown, Christchurch, Singapore, Amsterdam, and Sydney, serve as case studies to explore how digital platforms navigate the turbulence of diminishing returns within the broader urban economy.
By examining this conceptual and theoretical framework, I demonstrate how the behavior of digital platforms is not solely driven by market forces but also influenced by the specific urban contexts in which they operate. The paper provides insights into the elasticity of these platforms to economic shocks and how understanding these theories and concepts is crucial for urban planners and policymakers, businesses, and communities. In an era of rapid technological change and increasing economic inequality, this understanding may offer valuable insights for cities seeking to utilise digital platform elasticity to foster more sustainable and equitable urban development. This research bridges the gap between urban economics and digital platform theory, offering new perspectives on how digital platforms can be integrated into urban planning and economic policy to enhance city elasticity in the face of economic volatility.
References
Bahmanteymouri, E., (2025) Cities and Digital Platforms. Routledge
| Keywords | Cybernetic Capital Cycles, Digital Platforms, Diminishing Return, Capitalist inherent crises |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
