This book highlights recent developments in the field, presented at the Social Simulation 2015 conference in Groningen, The Netherlands. It covers advances both in applications and methods of social simulation. Societal issues addressed range across complexities in economic systems, opinion dynamics and civil violence, changing mobility patterns, different land-use, transition in the energy system, food production and consumption, ecosystem management and historical processes. Methodological developments cover how to use empirical data in validating models in general, formalization of behavioral theory in agent behavior, construction of artificial populations for experimentation, replication of models, and agent-based models that can be run in a web browser. Social simulation is a rapidly evolving field. Social scientists are increasingly interested in social simulation as a tool to tackle the complex non-linear dynamics of society. Furthermore, the software and hardware tools available for social simulation are becoming more and more powerful. This book is an important source for readers interested in the newest developments in the ways in which the simulation of social interaction contributes to our understanding and managing of complex social phenomena.

Deepening the scientific debate on planning and complexity, this Handbook combines theoretical discussion about planning and governance with modelling complex behaviour in space and place. Linking planning and complexity as a way of understanding dynamic change and non-linear development within cities, it presents critical new insights on complex urban behaviour. Building on the notion that cities have fractal-like structures, chapters look at their behaviour as complex adaptive systems, with co-evolving trajectories and transformative forces. The Handbook offers new perspectives, concepts, methods and tools for understanding the inter-relations between complexity and planning, including: adaptive planning, non-linear types of rationality, governance and decision-making, and different methods of experimental learning. Planning, complexity, urban studies and social geography scholars will appreciate the examples of complex urban behaviour and urban planning throughout the Handbook. This will also be an important read for modellers in urban development, urban policy makers and spatial planners. Contributors include: E.R. Alexander, Y. Asami, M. Batty, R. Beunen, B. Boonstra, S.D. Campbell, S. Cozzolino, M. Duineveld, S. Eraranta, N. Frantzeskaki, T. Ishikawa, W. Jager, D. Loorbach, S. Moroni, C. Perrone, J. Portugali, W. Rauws, N.A. Salingaros, K. Van Assche, A. van Nes, S. Verweij, T. Von Wirth, M. Zellner,

In recent years, Dutch environmental policy has undergone some pivotal changes, the most significant of which have been decentralization and deregulation, encouraging local communities to develop and deliver policies which are tailor-made to their particular situation. These changes have led to the development of some innovative practical instruments for aiding sustainable environmental spatial policy. This book discusses these new 'methods for environmental externalities' and their significance in the development and delivery of Dutch environmental policies, particularly how they ensure that issues such as health and hygiene are introduced in the early stages of spatial planning processes. This book highlights the most prominent and relevant of these innovative 'methods for environmental externalities' as well as comparing them with some of the classic methods, and analysing strengths and weaknesses. It argues that having such a broad and varied choice of methods is the key to ensuring the impressive and groundbreaking Dutch creativity in environmental management. In conclusion, the book extrapolates current trends in environmental policy, expresses likely and possible developments in 'methods for environmental externalities' and shows how such methods can contribute in our ongoing attempts to develop and deliver liveable, pleasant and sustainable towns and cities.

This title was first published in 2000. Encouraging, even requiring, higher density urban development is a major policy in the European Community and of Agenda 21, and a central principle of growth management programmes used by cities around the world. This work takes a critical look at a number of claims made by proponents of this initiative, seeking to answer whether indeed this strategy controls the spread of urban suburbs into open lands, is acceptable to residents, reduces trip lengths and encourages use of public transit, improves efficiency in providing urban infrastructure and services, and results in environmental improvements supporting higher quality of life in cities.

Complexity, complex systems and complexity theories are becoming increasingly important within a variety disciplines. While these issues are less well known within the discipline of spatial planning, there has been a recent growing awareness and interest. As planners grapple with how to consider the vagaries of the real world when putting together proposals for future development, they question how complexity, complex systems and complexity theories might prove useful with regard to spatial planning and the physical environment. This book provides a readable overview, presenting and relating a range of understandings and characteristics of complexity and complex systems as they are relevant to planning. It recognizes multiple, relational approaches of dynamic complexity which enhance understandings of, and facilitate working with, contingencies of place, time and the various participants' behaviours. In doing so, it should contribute to a better understanding of processes with regard to our physical and social worlds.

Many of the key notions associated with spatial planning are essentially 'fuzzy' in their nature. For example, while almost everyone accepts 'sustainability' as an important goal of planning, the actions of the actors involved can render the achieved 'sustainability' minimal, or even counterproductive. Putting forward an innovative way of looking at planning problems and policies, this volume suggests actor-consulting is important in addressing the fuzzy nature of planning. A tool to address differences in understanding, actor-consulting is based on an analysis of actor motives, perceptions and contributions. By inviting all actors to express their desired, actual and potential contributions to achieving an agreed outcome to a local policy issue, decision-makers have a means to develop their goals in line with the roles, motivation, perception and behaviour of the various actors involved. Including contributions from Patsy Healy, Johan Woltjer, Don Miller and Karel Martens, the book presents a variety of case studies which demonstrate the use of the actor-consulting model in addressing planning issues.

In recent years, Dutch environmental policy has undergone some pivotal changes, the most significant of which have been decentralization and deregulation, encouraging local communities to develop and deliver policies which are tailor-made to their particular situation. These changes have led to the development of some innovative practical instruments for aiding sustainable environmental spatial policy. This book discusses these new 'methods for environmental externalities' and their significance in the development and delivery of Dutch environmental policies, particularly how they ensure that issues such as health and hygiene are introduced in the early stages of spatial planning processes. This book highlights the most prominent and relevant of these innovative 'methods for environmental externalities' as well as comparing them with some of the classic methods, and analysing strengths and weaknesses. It argues that having such a broad and varied choice of methods is the key to ensuring the impressive and groundbreaking Dutch creativity in environmental management. In conclusion, the book extrapolates current trends in environmental policy, expresses likely and possible developments in 'methods for environmental externalities' and shows how such methods can contribute in our ongoing attempts to develop and deliver liveable, pleasant and sustainable towns and cities.

Spatial planning is about dealing with our 'everyday' environment. In A Planner's Encounter with Complexity we present various understandings of complexity and how the environment is considered accordingly. One of these considerations is the environment as subject to processes of continuous change, being either progressive or destructive, evolving non-linearly and alternating between stable and dynamic periods. If the environment that is subject to change is adaptive, self-organizing, robust and flexible in relation to this change, a process of evolution and co-evolution can be expected. This understanding of an evolving environment is not mainstream to every planner. However, in A Planner's Encounter with Complexity, we argue that environments confronted with discontinuous, non-linear evolving processes might be more real than the idea that an environment is simply a planner's creation. Above all, we argue that recognizing the 'complexity' of our environment offers an entirely new perspective on our world and our environment, on planning theory and practice, and on the raison d'Atre of the planners that we are. A Planner's Encounter with Complexity is organized into 17 chapters. It begins with the interplay of planning and complexity from the perspective of contemporary planning theory. It continues by critically assessing planning theory and practice in the light of the interdisciplinary debate regarding complexity thinking. As the book progresses, it positions itself ever closer to the perspective of complexity thinking, looking at the planning discipline 'from the outside in', clarifying the facets of complexity and its importance in planning. Finally, conceptual and theoretical developments towards more applied examples are identified in order to see the interplay of planning and complexity in practice. This book emphasizes the importance of complexity in planning, clarifies many of the concepts and theories, presents examples on planning and complexity, and proposes new ideas and methods for planning.

Complexity, complex systems and complexity theories are becoming increasingly important within a variety disciplines. While these issues are less well known within the discipline of spatial planning, there has been a recent growing awareness and interest. As planners grapple with how to consider the vagaries of the real world when putting together proposals for future development, they question how complexity, complex systems and complexity theories might prove useful with regard to spatial planning and the physical environment. This book provides a readable overview, presenting and relating a range of understandings and characteristics of complexity and complex systems as they are relevant to planning. It recognizes multiple, relational approaches of dynamic complexity which enhance understandings of, and facilitate working with, contingencies of place, time and the various participants' behaviours. In doing so, it should contribute to a better understanding of processes with regard to our physical and social worlds.

Many of the key notions associated with spatial planning are essentially 'fuzzy' in their nature. For example, while almost everyone accepts 'sustainability' as an important goal of planning, the actions of the actors involved can render the achieved 'sustainability' minimal, or even counterproductive. Putting forward an innovative way of looking at planning problems and policies, this volume suggests actor-consulting is important in addressing the fuzzy nature of planning. A tool to address differences in understanding, actor-consulting is based on an analysis of actor motives, perceptions and contributions. By inviting all actors to express their desired, actual and potential contributions to achieving an agreed outcome to a local policy issue, decision-makers have a means to develop their goals in line with the roles, motivation, perception and behaviour of the various actors involved. Including contributions from Patsy Healy, Johan Woltjer, Don Miller and Karel Martens, the book presents a variety of case studies which demonstrate the use of the actor-consulting model in addressing planning issues.

Originally published in 1997, Urban Environmental Planning provides a groundbreaking overview of innovative methods and techniques for measuring and managing the environmental effects of urban land uses on other urban activities. Fully revised and updated, this second edition brings together a team of leading environmental planners and policy makers from the US, UK, Europe and SE Asia to address the central questions confronting sustainable urban development. Typical questions include: How can you measure and manage the negative environmental effects of intrusive urban activities such as manufacturing and transport on sensitive land uses including residential and recreational areas? Can a balance be found between reducing these effects through means such as separating conflicting land uses? While other sources identify the need for effective programmes to improve urban environmental quality, this volume describes and assesses analytical methods and implementing programmes practised by leading communities around the world.

The Netherlands is one of the most prominent and innovative countries in the field of environmental planning. Over the past decade, its government has introduced such ground-breaking schemes as Integrated Environmental Zoning, the City-Environment Project, the Bubble Concept and Policy Concepts and new approaches to coping with noise, odours, soil pollution, air pollution and safety issues. These initiatives and policy tools reflect a rapidly changing and decentralising environmental policy, which contrasts with more conventional environmental ideologies. However, at present little is known of these policies in the international arena. De Roo shows how and why, in recent years, the country's planning system has moved away from its traditional 'top-down' structure. The resulting changes have had far-reaching consequences for the traditional principles of Dutch environmental policy. In addition, measures for compensating excessive environmental loads are now open to discussion and environmental quality is a subject of negotiation among stakeholders. All these developments mean that environmental policy-making has become more closely integrated with local initiatives that focus on general location-specific qualities. In this book, this development is referred to as 'tailor-made comprehensive planning', which relates closely to the local context, is area-specific, situation-dependent, and embraces shared governance.

Spatial planning is about dealing with our 'everyday' environment. In A Planner's Encounter with Complexity we present various understandings of complexity and how the environment is considered accordingly. One of these considerations is the environment as subject to processes of continuous change, being either progressive or destructive, evolving non-linearly and alternating between stable and dynamic periods. If the environment that is subject to change is adaptive, self-organizing, robust and flexible in relation to this change, a process of evolution and co-evolution can be expected. This understanding of an evolving environment is not mainstream to every planner. However, in A Planner's Encounter with Complexity, we argue that environments confronted with discontinuous, non-linear evolving processes might be more real than the idea that an environment is simply a planner's creation. Above all, we argue that recognizing the 'complexity' of our environment offers an entirely new perspective on our world and our environment, on planning theory and practice, and on the raison d'Atre of the planners that we are. A Planner's Encounter with Complexity is organized into 17 chapters. It begins with the interplay of planning and complexity from the perspective of contemporary planning theory. It continues by critically assessing planning theory and practice in the light of the interdisciplinary debate regarding complexity thinking. As the book progresses, it positions itself ever closer to the perspective of complexity thinking, looking at the planning discipline 'from the outside in', clarifying the facets of complexity and its importance in planning. Finally, conceptual and theoretical developments towards more applied examples are identified in order to see the interplay of planning and complexity in practice. This book emphasizes the importance of complexity in planning, clarifies many of the concepts and theories, presents examples on planning and complexity, and proposes new ideas and methods for planning.

The Virtual and the Real in Planning and Urban Design: Perspectives, Practices and Applicationsexplores the merging relationship between physical and virtual spaces in planning and urban design. Technological advances such as smart sensors, interactive screens, locative media and evolving computation software have impacted the ways in which people experience, explore, interact with and create these complex spaces. This book draws together a broad range of interdisciplinary researchers in areas such as architecture, urban design, spatial planning, geoinformation science, computer science and psychology to introduce the theories, models, opportunities and uncertainties involved in the interplay between virtual and physical spaces. Using a wide range of international contributors, from the UK, USA, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands and Japan, it provides a framework for assessing how new technology alters our perception of physical space.

This book highlights recent developments in the field, presented at the Social Simulation 2015 conference in Groningen, The Netherlands. It covers advances both in applications and methods of social simulation. Societal issues addressed range across complexities in economic systems, opinion dynamics and civil violence, changing mobility patterns, different land-use, transition in the energy system, food production and consumption, ecosystem management and historical processes. Methodological developments cover how to use empirical data in validating models in general, formalization of behavioral theory in agent behavior, construction of artificial populations for experimentation, replication of models, and agent-based models that can be run in a web browser. Social simulation is a rapidly evolving field. Social scientists are increasingly interested in social simulation as a tool to tackle the complex non-linear dynamics of society. Furthermore, the software and hardware tools available for social simulation are becoming more and more powerful. This book is an important source for readers interested in the newest developments in the ways in which the simulation of social interaction contributes to our understanding and managing of complex social phenomena.

The Virtual and the Real in Planning and Urban Design: Perspectives, Practices and Applicationsexplores the merging relationship between physical and virtual spaces in planning and urban design. Technological advances such as smart sensors, interactive screens, locative media and evolving computation software have impacted the ways in which people experience, explore, interact with and create these complex spaces. This book draws together a broad range of interdisciplinary researchers in areas such as architecture, urban design, spatial planning, geoinformation science, computer science and psychology to introduce the theories, models, opportunities and uncertainties involved in the interplay between virtual and physical spaces. Using a wide range of international contributors, from the UK, USA, Germany, France, Switzerland, Netherlands and Japan, it provides a framework for assessing how new technology alters our perception of physical space.

Since Integrating City Planning and Environmental Improvement was originally published in 1999, the practice of integrating urban physical planning and environmental quality management has been widely adopted by governments worldwide. Fully revised and updated with a new preface by editors Donald Miller and Gert de Roo and new figures throughout, this second edition reports on the experience of 23 innovative programmes from 11 countries. Mostly written by practicing planners and government officials, the book looks at a wide range of integrated approaches which have been implemented and the critical assessment of these provides lessons for local and national governments interested in setting up similar schemes and suggesting ways of further innovation. While the Rio Earth summit, Habitat II and Kyoto have been a source of global principles for improving the environmental quality of human settlements, this book explores approaches to implement these policy positions and to make these calls for action operational. Consequently, the presentation of these cases deals not only with the technical aspects of measuring and controlling environmental spillovers, but also with the institutional, political and financial aspects of these programmes.