本文擬在評介建築史與建築批評家克莉絲汀．波依兒對於公共空間與虛擬空間的理論批判，並將她的批判置於晚近英語學界中虛擬公共空間的學術論辯中來檢視。在過去二十年間，由於資訊傳播科技的持續演進，城市的公共生活正日漸地從實質空間的領域轉移至“虛擬空間"之中。虛擬公共生活的興起不僅產生了新的公共空間模式，同時還挑戰了傳統都市公共空間存在的必要性。面對這個現象，都市研究學界有兩派不同觀點：其中一認為虛擬空間可做為實現民主公共生活之場所；另一派則對於虛擬空間促進城市民主的可能性抱為相當程度的懷疑。在這個論辯之中，波依兒的獨特貢獻在於她對公共空間與私有空間、虛擬空間與實質空間之間的辯証關係提出了較為周延的理論。本文將分析她的主要論點，並將之與其他學者的觀點相互比較。同時，本文也將討論這個虛擬公共空間之論辯對於理解當前都市公共空間轉化的理論意涵。

　　　　　This essay attempts to evaluate M. Christine Boyer's critiques of public space and"vitual space" by situating her critiques within recent debates over virtual public space. In the past two decades, as advanced communication technology gradually invades our daily life, a great portion of urban public life is increasingly migrating from physical space to the realm of"virtual space". The rise of virtual public life not only produces new forms of public space, but also challenges the necessity of urban public space in present world. In this context, many urban theorists have turned to the issue of the impacts of virtual public space on our daily life. In general, there are two competing attitudes: one insists that virtual space is the best site for realizing democratic urban public life; the other is much more skeptical about the potential of virtual space. Within the debates, Boyer has made a unique contribution by theorizing the dynamics between public space and private space and that of virtual space and real space. In the essay, I will discuss Boyer's major arguments and compare them with different perspectives from other scholars. At the same time, I will also point out the implications of the debates over virtual space for understanding the ongoing transformation of urban public space.