CASA Working Paper 157

Exploring the Historical Determinants of Urban Growth through Cellular Automata
The model presented here is an attempt to bridge a widening gap between theoretical and empirical models of urban growth. It explores a specific theoretical assumption regarding the spatial determinants of land use patterns grounded in detailed empirical data which document the historical growth of West London at an unusually high level of spatial and temporal resolution.

The results of the study provide support for a radical hypothesis which states that: 1) the spatial relationships between land uses and the physical environment are remarkably consistent through time, showing little variation relative to changes in historical context; and 2) that these relationships constitute a basic genetic code of urban growth which determines the spatial signature of land development in a given metropolitan area.

This working paper is available as a PDF. The file size is 2795KB.

Authors: Michael Batty, Kiril Stanilov

Publication Date: 1/8/2010

Download working paper No. 157.