Random walk, cluster growth, and the morphology of urban conglomerations

M. Pica Ciamarra and A. Coniglio

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2006, vol. 363, issue 2, 551-557

Abstract: We propose a new model of cluster growth according to which the probability that a new unit is placed in a point at a distance r from the city center is a Gaussian with mean equal to the cluster radius and variance proportional to the mean, modulated by the local density ρ(r). The model is analytically solvable in d=2 dimensions, where the density profile varies as a complementary error function. The model reproduces experimental observations relative to the morphology of cities, determined via an original analysis of digital maps with a very high spatial resolution, and helps understanding the emergence of vehicular traffic.

Keywords: Growth processes; Diffusion-limited aggregation; Traffic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:363:y:2006:i:2:p:551-557

DOI: 10.1016/j.physa.2005.08.049

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