Embedding sustainable development strategies in agent-based models for use as a planning tool

Authored by Xia Li, Xiaoping Liu

Date Published: 2008

DOI: 10.1080/13658810701228686

Sponsors: Chinese National Natural Science Foundation Ministry of Education of China National Outstanding Youth Foundation of China

Platforms: Microsoft Visual Basic

Model Documentation: Other Narrative Flow charts Mathematical description

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

Rapid land development in rapidly growing countries has created a series of land-use problems. The implementation of sustainable land use can alleviate some of these problems. It needs a set of tools for the exploration, design, modification, illustration, and evaluation of alternative planning scenarios. This paper demonstrates that the integration of cellular automata and agent-based modelling can provide a spatial exploratory tool for generating alternative development patterns. Sustainable development strategies are embedded in the modelling to regulate agents' behaviours. The use of agents can help to represent human-environment interactions in solving complex land-use problems. It is able to examine the effects of different stakeholders in influencing the process of land development. The proposed model has been applied to the simulation of planning scenarios for residential development in a rapidly expanding city in the Pearl River Delta.

Tags

Agent-based modelling Cellular automata GIS Urban planning