Google urbanism 2010–2020: From infrastructural control to growing bit by bit
本文通过谷歌的Fiber和Sidewalk Labs两个城市科技项目，分析其作为平台和基础设施的双重角色，以及与地方政府合作、实验性使用城市环境的方式，呼吁更广泛地理论化科技公司在城市中的权力。
This article examines Google’s political-economic influence in the emerging ‘digital growth machine’ through two urban-tech initiatives, Fiber and Sidewalk Labs. The findings highlight the company’s dual role as both a platform and an infrastructure, its capacity for collaboration with local governments and its iterative, experimental use of urban environments. It argues that Google’s urban-tech power in cities is neither fixed nor easily defined; the company purposefully remains ambiguous in order to continually test and invest in new ventures, fuelled by the speculative ethos of Silicon Valley and the demands of venture capital. Using Google as a case study, the article calls for a broader theorisation of tech power in cities, focusing not just on economic heft but also on the ways that tech companies enlist other actors in speculative projects, and adapt, pivot and repurpose their products in response to local demands.