Modelling urban growth using cellular automata. Application to the city of Tandil (Argentina)

LINARES, S.; CELEMÍN, J. P.; DEL FRESNO, M; MELIENDREZ, M

Québec,

Simposio; PROCEEDINGS Second International Symposium on Cellular Automata Modeling for Urban and Spatial Systems CAMUSS 2016; 2016

Convergence Network and the Centre for Research in Geomatics, Université Laval, Canada

Traditionally, cities were represented with a single central district characterized by the concentration of raw materials, labor, and density of shops and services; while at present this scenario is substantially transformed as cities tend to be polycentric due to massive automobile access, the spread and diversification of services and new information and communication technologies.This is why many current approaches, based on classical theories of urban development, find limitations to simulate urban growth and to describe the changing nature of sub-spaces in cities. Consequently, there is a need to implement models that are as flexible and dynamic in their simulation capabilities. It is possible to find a viable solution to these problems in complexity theory-based models. This approach delegates the simulation at macro-scale urban structure to a set of dynamicsub-models at micro-scale derived from the complexity theory as they try to represent individual actors (or groups) in a given system that can interact with each other and/or with an environment. The macro-level behaviors are configured from the aggregation of theseinteractions. Different models from complexity theory have been used to simulate urban dynamics. In this paper we present a software application that takes advantage of the developed models based on cellular automata (CA) rules. Many studies have shown that the integration ofGeographic Information Systems (GIS) and CA models can be used to understand, simulatE and predict urban growth successfully. In this particular research, we present SACcity an urban modeling tool that combines the usual parameters of randomness, diffusion and propagation parameters in an AHP-calibrated urban CA model based on a set of variables related to infrastructure and physical characteristics. This model is being developed at the Center for Geographical Research, Faculty of Human Sciences at the National University of Central Buenos Aires Province located in the city of Tandil that serves as an example ofthe potential of this program.