There wasn't a single technical glitch in the video-conferencing technology used to beam Professor Bill Mitchell's three waves of technology to the 200 delegates present in Melbourne on Monday morning, 14th September for the Opening General Session of the CoreNet Global Summit here.

Digital networking, embedded networks and wireless networks were all tackled in turn in explaining how they are transforming cities, architecture and real estate.

The underlying theme in Professor Mitchell's address was how each wave relates back to 'fragmentation' and 'recombination' of building types and urban patterns.

It is well known that the spatial pattern of an industrial city was created around energy supply networks that dictated the distribution of buildings, telecommunications allowed separation of managers from workers, and transportation networks allowed separation of residential space from working space.

This is what we can refer to as 'fragmentation'.

Delegates to the recent Melbourne Global Summit took part in a site tour of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne on 14 October.

"All in all, we are now starting to see the reinvention of pre-industrialised use of space". There is a growing trend in recombining work and living spaces. The introduction of technology means that you no longer need to be hooked up to the central files - 'recombination' as opposed to 'fragmentation' comes into play.

Digital networks have come a long way in forty years, with 'fragmentation' and 'recombination' of building types and urban patterns interrelating with the new type of network infrastructure that follows patterns and rights of way that carry other types of infrastructure carried throughout cities.

When discussing embedded networks, Professor Martin asked the delegates to "think about a world whereby every physical thing can network with every other physical thing".

Inexpensive, miniaturised, embedded devices demolish the distinction between physical space and cyberspace. Everything has sensing and computing capability and an IP address.

A wearable computer, smart shoes that create music, and transponder devices were all offered as examples so that delegates could grasp how far these devices have been developed and how they can change our every day lives. What once seemed unbelievable is now achievable through the refinement of technological devices.

The third wave of technology that will continue to have an impact on our lives is wireless communication.

Portable wireless devices will especially play a key role. They selectively loosen 'people-to-place' and 'people-to-people' relationships. It is not uncommon to now find people utilising wireless devices whilst working in the open air.

"Enormous, yet exciting challenges for the coming decades are what we have to look forward to, as we now talk about urban design in the internet age".