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Author: Luis M. A. Bettencourt Publisher: MIT Press ISBN: 0262366436 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 497
Book Description
A novel, integrative approach to cities as complex adaptive systems, applicable to issues ranging from innovation to economic prosperity to settlement patterns. Human beings around the world increasingly live in urban environments. In Introduction to Urban Science, Luis Bettencourt takes a novel, integrative approach to understanding cities as complex adaptive systems, claiming that they require us to frame the field of urban science in a way that goes beyond existing theory in such traditional disciplines as sociology, geography, and economics. He explores the processes facilitated by and, in many cases, unleashed for the first time by urban life through the lenses of social heterogeneity, complex networks, scaling, circular causality, and information. Though the idea that cities are complex adaptive systems has become mainstream, until now those who study cities have lacked a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding cities and urbanization, for generating useful and falsifiable predictions, and for constructing a solid body of empirical evidence so that the discipline of urban science can continue to develop. Bettencourt applies his framework to such issues as innovation and development across scales, human reasoning and strategic decision-making, patterns of settlement and mobility and their influence on socioeconomic life and resource use, inequality and inequity, biodiversity, and the challenges of sustainable development in both high- and low-income nations. It is crucial, says Bettencourt, to realize that cities are not "zero-sum games" and that knowledge, human cooperation, and collective action can build a better future.
Author: Luis M. A. Bettencourt Publisher: MIT Press ISBN: 0262366436 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 497
Book Description
A novel, integrative approach to cities as complex adaptive systems, applicable to issues ranging from innovation to economic prosperity to settlement patterns. Human beings around the world increasingly live in urban environments. In Introduction to Urban Science, Luis Bettencourt takes a novel, integrative approach to understanding cities as complex adaptive systems, claiming that they require us to frame the field of urban science in a way that goes beyond existing theory in such traditional disciplines as sociology, geography, and economics. He explores the processes facilitated by and, in many cases, unleashed for the first time by urban life through the lenses of social heterogeneity, complex networks, scaling, circular causality, and information. Though the idea that cities are complex adaptive systems has become mainstream, until now those who study cities have lacked a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding cities and urbanization, for generating useful and falsifiable predictions, and for constructing a solid body of empirical evidence so that the discipline of urban science can continue to develop. Bettencourt applies his framework to such issues as innovation and development across scales, human reasoning and strategic decision-making, patterns of settlement and mobility and their influence on socioeconomic life and resource use, inequality and inequity, biodiversity, and the challenges of sustainable development in both high- and low-income nations. It is crucial, says Bettencourt, to realize that cities are not "zero-sum games" and that knowledge, human cooperation, and collective action can build a better future.
Author: Nigel Taylor Publisher: SAGE ISBN: 9780761960935 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 196
Book Description
Taylor describes the development of urban planning ideas since the end of the Second World War, outlining the main theories from the traditional view of planning as an exercise in physical design to recent views of planning as 'communicative action'.
Author: Tschangho John Kim Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media ISBN: 9400924054 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 278
Book Description
A wide range of books on urban systems models are available today for the student of urban planning, geography, and economics. There are few, if any, books, however, that deal with integrated urban systems modeling from the operational viewpoint. The term "integrated" is used here in the same sense as the "general equilibrium", in contrast to such approaches as "sequential" or "partial equilibrium". In fact, the main thesis of this book is that the characteristics of ur ban activity that best distinguish it from rural activity are (1) the intensive use of urban land and (2) urban congestion. On this basis, models that are introduced in this book are three- dimensional in character and produce urban land use configurations with explicit optimal density of urban pro duction activities along with optimal levels of transportation congestion. It is also assumed that both public and private sectors play significant roles in shaping urban forms, structures, and functions in mixed economic systems. From this viewpoint, models developed in this book address two integrated decision-making procedures: one by the public sector, which provides urban infrastructure and public services, and the other one by the private sector, which uses provided infrastructure and public services in pursuing parochial interests.
Author: Christopher Alexander Publisher: Center for Environmental Struc ISBN: 0195037537 Category : City planning Languages : en Pages : 263
Book Description
The venerable cities of the past, such as Venice or Amsterdam, convey a feeling of wholeness, an organic unity that surfaces in every detail, large and small, in restaurants, shops, public gardens, even in balconies and ornaments. But this sense of wholeness is lacking in modern urban design, with architects absorbed in problems of individual structures, and city planners preoccupied with local ordinances, it is almost impossible to achieve. In this groundbreaking volume, architect and planner Christopher Alexander presents a new theory of urban design which attempts to recapture the process by which cities develop organically. To discover the kinds of laws needed to create a growing whole in a city, Alexander proposes here a preliminary set of seven rules which embody the process at a practical level and which are consistent with the day-to-day demands of urban development. He then puts these rules to the test, setting out with a number of his graduate students to simulate the urban redesign of a high-density part of San Francisco, initiating a project that encompassed some ninety different design problems, including warehouses, hotels, fishing piers, a music hall, and a public square. This extensive experiment is documented project by project, with detailed discussion of how each project satisfied the seven rules, accompanied by floorplans, elevations, street grids, axonometric diagrams and photographs of the scaled-down model which clearly illustrate the discussion. A New Theory of Urban Design provides an entirely new theoretical framework for the discussion of urban problems, one that goes far to remedy the defects which cities have today.
Author: George Chadwick Publisher: Pergamon ISBN: 9780080182322 Category : Languages : en Pages : 390
Book Description
Physical change and human ecology; What is planning?; Systems; Planning as a conceptual system; On space and spatial planning; Goals; Projecting the system: What is the future?; Models; Some operational models and their underlying theories; Modelling "the whole system"; Evaluation; A spatial method for regional planning; Satisfaction or optimisation? The bounds of rationality; Plan or programme?; A mixed-programming strategy.
Author: Yan Liu Publisher: CRC Press ISBN: 1420059904 Category : Technology & Engineering Languages : en Pages : 204
Book Description
Urban development and migration from rural to urban areas are impacting prime agricultural land and natural landscapes, particularly in the less developed countries. These phenomena will persist and require serious study by those monitoring global environmental change. To address this need, various models have been devised to analyze urbanization a
Author: Alexander R. Thomas Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield ISBN: 1793644330 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 491
Book Description
City and Country: The Historical Evolution of Urban-Rural Systems begins with a simple assumption: every human requires, on average, two-thousand calories per day to stay alive. Tracing the ramifications of this insight leads to the caloric well: the caloric demand at one point in the environment. As population increases, the depth of the caloric well reflects this increased demand and requires a population to go further afield for resources, a condition called urban dependency. City and Country traces the structural ramifications of these dynamics as the population increased from the Paleolithic to today. We can understand urban dependency as the product of the caloric demands a population puts on a given environment, and when those demands outstrip the carry capacity of the environment, a caloric well develops that forces a community to look beyond its immediate area for resources. As the well deepens, the horizon from which resources are gathered is pushed further afield, often resulting in conflict with neighboring groups. Prior to settled villages, increases in population resulted in cultural (technological) innovations that allowed for greater use of existing resources: the broad-spectrum revolution circa 20 thousand years ago, the birth of agricultural villages 11 thousand years ago, and hierarchically organized systems of multiple settlements working together to produce enough food during the Ubaid period in Mesopotamia seven-thousand years ago—the first urban-rural systems. As cities developed, increasing population resulted in an ever-deepening morass of urban dependency that required expansion of urban-rural systems. These urban-rural dynamics today serve as an underlying logic upon which modern capitalism is built. The culmination of two decades of research into the nature of urban-rural dynamics, City and Country argues that at the heart of the logic of capitalism is an even deeper logic: urbanization is based on urban dependency.
Author: Andrew D. Chapman Publisher: The Autodidact’s Toolkit ISBN: Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 218
Book Description
At its core, systems theory is an interdisciplinary framework for understanding the complex and interconnected nature of various elements within a system. It transcends traditional approaches that focus on individual components, advocating for a holistic perspective. Systems theory examines how parts of a system interact, influence each other, and contribute to the system’s overall behavior and outcomes. This approach is crucial in today’s world, where challenges are increasingly complex and interlinked, requiring solutions that consider the entirety of the system. Understanding Systems Theory is tailored for a broad audience. It serves as an essential resource for students across disciplines such as business, engineering, social sciences, and environmental studies, providing a foundational understanding of systems thinking. For academics and researchers, it offers in-depth analyses and the latest developments in systems theory. Professionals and practitioners will find practical applications and strategies to address systemic challenges in their respective fields, from organizational management to environmental sustainability. This book demystifies systems theory, breaking it down into digestible concepts, illustrated with real-world examples and case studies. It systematically guides the reader through the key principles, methodologies, and applications of systems thinking. Each chapter is crafted to build upon the previous one, gradually deepening the reader’s understanding while maintaining clarity and accessibility. Understanding Systems Theory is organized into ten distinct but interconnected parts, each focusing on a different aspect of systems theory: Introduction to Systems Theory: Laying the foundational concepts and significance of systems thinking Foundations of Systems Theory: Delving into the core principles and elements that constitute systems System Modeling and Analysis: Exploring methodologies and tools for modeling and analyzing systems Systems in Various Domains: Applying systems theory across different sectors and disciplines Advanced Systems Theory Concepts: Discussing more complex and emerging ideas in systems theory Systems Thinking Tools and Techniques: Providing practical tools and techniques for implementing systems thinking Organizational Systems and Change: Focusing on the application of systems theory in organizational contexts Contemporary Issues in Systems Theory: Addressing modern challenges and the role of systems thinking in resolving them Systems Theory in Research and Education: Exploring the role of systems theory in academic research and educational curricula Applied Systems Theory: Demonstrating the practical applications of systems theory in various real-world scenarios Each part consists of carefully structured chapters that progress from fundamental concepts to more advanced topics, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of systems theory and its vast applicability. We invite you on this journey through Understanding Systems Theory, confident that it will enrich your perspective and equip you with the tools to think and act systemically in an increasingly interconnected world.
Author: Luis M. A. Bettencourt
Author: Manfred Rolfes
Author: Luis M. A. Bettencourt
Author: Nigel Taylor
Author: Tschangho John Kim
Author: Christopher Alexander
Author: George Chadwick
Author: Yan Liu
Author: Alexander R. Thomas
Author: Andrew D. Chapman
Author: Shah Manzoor Alam