According to futurologist theory, major cities will soon cease growth as technology improves the quality of life and space regulation is improved. This, according to University of Southern California communication professor Manuel Castells, is not only wrong, but it is also contrary to his prediction that cities will soon expand into large metropolitan regions that will connect in many different ways. Castells visited UC Irvine’s University Club on Thursday, Jan. 24 to talk about the evolution of cities and the concept of “urban” today.

Castells holds joint appointments with sociology, international relation, and policy, planning and development at University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication. He is one of the world’s most highly cited social science and communications scholars in the world. At the behest of the Department of Planning, Policy and Design, Castells gave a presentation on what he believes is the natural progression of the urban world.

According to Castells, the world is becoming a network society, where different networks of interests criss-cross the globe. Studying individual societies is pointless because of the interconnections between nations. These networks meet in giant metropolitan nodes, typically surrounding major cities. They connect the various populations of the world, but there are some who are disconnected and isolated. Those regions not advanced enough to participate or involve themselves in these networks are cut off from the global society of networks. The regions that are cut off are usually too poor or technologically behind to keep up.

“We have shifted from exploitation to something much worse: irrelevance,” Castells said. “At least exploited people can fight. The irrelevant are ignored.”