From the editor

Abstract

In an article entitled The world has changed: Can planning change?, Manuel Castells (1991: 73-78) explains global changes in terms of political, economic, technological, cultural and spatial dimensions. The incredible pace, at which information technology and digital communication are developing, leads to a new lifestyle revolution in society. Globalisation has created a new society where the differences between people can not only be expressed with the Gini coefficient, but also establish a new group of people, described by Castells (2000: 168) as the Fourth World,
in which people do not form part of the mainstream thinking and action, due to their social exclusion and economic irrelevance, thus people who do not have access to the internet and information technology.