Introduction to Urban Dynamics

The publication of Jay W. Forrester’s Urban Dynamics in 1969 introduced a new perspective on analyzing urban problems. The book attracted attention worldwide and stirred a great deal of controversy and debate. Introduction to Urban Dynamics provides a step-by-step approach to understanding both the key elements of the system dynamics modeling methodology, and the ideas and concepts introduced in Urban Dynamics. It explains the complexity of the urban system by examining simpler urban subsystems one at a time. The book contains eleven urban models. Each model is slightly more complex and realistic than the one before it. For example, Chapter 1 describes a simple model of unlimited economic expansion. Chapter 2 modifies that model to portray growth within a fixed land area, such as a central-city area. Each chapter illustrates some principle of urban behavior, and discusses the model in terms of real events and policy issues. The book shows how the three major concepts of urban dynamic