Simulating the re-concentration of dispersed habitation in the peripheral urban area using an artificial society approach

ABSTRACT

This study proposes an exploratory urban morphology agent-based model (ABM) to simulate the combined impact of the establishment of hub facilities that urban residents can conveniently access, policies for promoting human interactions around them, and the introduction of trams amidst dispersed habitations in peripheral urban areas. The proposed model offers a new perspective on ways to improve the urban environment. It describes a shift from dispersed habitation to concentrated habitation in a bottom-up manner through behavioural changes at the micro level, which lead to productive human interactions in an urban setting. Specifically, the model experimentally demonstrates a trade-off between increased human interactions caused by the introduction of hub facilities that attract a diverse range of activities, and policies that promote such interactions and development amongst dispersed habitation. Additionally, the model suggests that the direction of urban growth is a consequence of collective action, implying that collaborative efforts can facilitate its improvement.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban morphology
• agent-based simulation
• land use changes
• smart growth
• transit oriented development

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Calculated by multiplying the CO₂ emissions per passenger per transport distance for privately owned vehicles and the railway (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport 2021) by the total travel distance of each transport method of all the household agents.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI [21H01561,22K14445];The Obayashi Foundation;Japan Institute of Country-ology and Engineering Grant;

Notes on contributors

Hideyuki Nagai

Hideyuki Nagai received his Ph.D. degree from University of Tsukuba, Japan, in 2018. In 2021, he joined Kyoto Arts and Crafts University, where he is currently a fixed-term lecturer. His research interests include urban and architectural design and computational social science.

Setsuya Kurahashi

Setsuya Kurahashi received his Ph.D. degree from University of Tsukuba, Japan, in 2001. In 2006, he joined University of Tsukuba, where he is currently a professor of Graduate School of Business Sciences. His research interests include social simulation, artificial intelligence and history.