Modeling cities and regions as complex systems: from theory to planning applications

Cities and regions are highly complex but ordered systems.

They are thus best understood by modelling within the framework of the theory of complex, self-organizing systems.

This theory suggests that fractal structure is a signature of self-organized systems, and that systems that are far from thermodynamic equilibrium have open futures.

These two phenomena have important consequences for the calibration and validation of realistic models, with the open futures phenomenon raising fundamental methodological issues that are addressed in the book.