ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the theoretical premise that information and communication technologies, their distribution, their use and their adoption for social, economic and cultural production processes are integral to the evolution of cities, urban life and urban spaces. It explores some of the issues related to the relationship between urban space and technology in cities such as Durban. In INK and other townships within Durban mobile phones have broadened access to telecommunications in remote and under-serviced areas. The entry point for understanding the notion of augmented public space in the South African context is the availability and use of ICT. The chapter offers a number of dimensions through which the digital layering of urban space in the African context can be understood. It reveals a spectrum in understanding typologies of informality in city spaces, a continuum where the formal, secure and taxed shop owner sits at opposite ends to the highly mobile and insecure coat hanger salesman standing at street intersections.
