Benoit Mandelbrot discusses fractals and their roughness

Do humans have Read Only Memory?

 

Are we a ‘blank slate’ that enters the world? Do we learn everything from our parents and institutions (such as government, religion, schools etc.)? Or, do we come we a set of ‘rules’ that determines what we do as individuals, groups, nations etc.?   The answer is not one or another, but both.  We definitely learn ‘stuff’ from our environment, but we also come with a programmed set of instructions.  The programmed set of instructions or rule could be considered our Read Only Memory (R.O.M.)  This  could be considered the  ‘embodied’ or ‘embedded mind, which is the foundation of all decisions individually and as groups. Animals come already with R.O.M and react to their environment based on it. This is called instinct in animals.  Humans have some the same characteristics, but modified.

What would be some of the R.O.M. characteristics of humans?  Some could be considered as basic as the ability to learn languages, desire to speak, awareness of environment, adaptability, survival, hunger, security, mobility, curiosity, need for other people, reproduction urges, to the more complex such as religion.  Of course, this R.O.M. is intertwined with family groups and institutional interactions.  A human enters the world with R.O. M. as a child, but is not an isolated individual from the very beginning. The child interacts with its mother, then its father (if present), his/her sibling and proceeds to interact with others outside his/her immediate family.

In complexity theory and within the metaphorical use of agent-based modeling, human beings can be considered agents.  However, human beings, as discussed earlier, have built in R.O.M.  These are rules from the genetic storehouse that we all carry with us that provide the ability to perform multiple tasks.  Some appear to be common for all humans such as speech, language, reasoning etc.  They ultimately create archetypes that are common in most cultures.  However, all human agents operate within an environment.  Increasingly, human agents operate in an urban environment.  All human agents are networked to family, friends, and institutions.  While, some of the basic rules are the same for all, there are distinct differences.  Human agents change according to their age group, sex, income, education and family influences, which alters the way that the basic rules are interpreted. A way of visualizing this simply is to think of ants, each with different roles and purposes which are networked together.  This simple mental visualization serves the foundation of my theory on complexity and urban environments. 

Urban fractal generation and The Law of Thermodynamics (draft)

.In complexity theory, everything is dynamic, nothing is static.  Everything is also in motion, even to maintain stability. The allusion of a phenomena or object appearing to be at rest is because of the discounting of the presence of other forces and their relative speed in action upon or interacting with the phenomena. For example, a ball that is put in a bowl has a brief period of rapid motion as it drops to the bottom. It appears in a state of rest, but gravity is maintaining this rest depending on the rotation of the earth.  This is long term stability, but certainly not infinite stability.

This concept is the metaphoric use of the Law of Thermodynamics.  There is a force that initiates the motion of objects, accelerates it and eventually the motion decays.  The later phrase is called entropy. In the same manner if the energy or force applied for acceleration or maintenance becomes beyond the capacity of the ‘engine’, then it has to slow down or break down.   If it is desired that the engine be able to function with additional energy applied then the engine must be adapted for this.  However there are still limitations. These limits are fuzzy, but at some point there is definite moment of transition.

There are numerous examples of this principle to urban fractal generation, whether it is manifested in tangible or intangible elements. It also must set up within the overall principles of complexity and fractal generation.  For example,  an area which is vacant  and suitable for development, grows rapidly because of the economic forces etc. making this area attractive.  It will continue to grow until constrained by the capacity of the area of the economic forces driving the development.

As an adjunct to this concept of the Law of Thermodynamics is that of a filter that changes the rules for fractal generation. For example, an already established city has set-up a policy of protection of a watershed in an area on the edges of urban development.  This will determine the formation of urban fractals within the watershed protection area.  It may mean that the some urban development already growing in the direction will have to go somewhere other than the area (i.e., heavy industry) or the residential, commercial or industrial development has to be altered to minimize pollution to the watershed.  The development will grow, fill up the space and eventually become stable, but depending on a ‘filter’ that altered the fractal formation.

These brief paragraphs are fragments of thoughts about the application of the Law of Thermodynamic to fractal generation. They should be expanded upon at a later date.  Any comment or criticism is welcomed

Brief introduction to fractals., chaos, complexity and urban development

This video  is a good  introduction to fractal generation and its connection to the form of urban development. Also, emphasizes one of my basic theories that urban policy contains 'a set of rules' that will generate 'urban fractals' that are either sustainable or unsustainable, transit-friendly or transit hostile, pedestrian friendly or  automobile oriented, or set in motion the process of revitalization or reenforce decline and decay.

Fractal Cities by Dr. Michael Batty and Dr. Paul Longley available free on-line

l For those interested in using fractal analysis to understand urban form, Dr. Batty’s and Dr. Longley's seminal
book, Fractal Cities: A Geometry of Form and Function  is still the most comprehensive work on this subject. It is now available for free in pdf format at: http://www.fractalcities.org/ . Dr. Batty's excellent follow-up book Cities and Complexity: Understanding Cities with Cellular Automata, Agent-Based Models and Fractals  is available through MIT Press and other sources. Hopefully, one day this book will also be available on-line

For other online papers concerning spatial analysis, many with an urban focus and several  on aspects of fractal analysis, and agent based modeling, go to website of the Barlett School Centre for Spatial Analysis (CASA) of at the University College of London which Dr. Batty is  associated  at: http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/ 

My own work and many others who are now conducting research on urbanization using fractal analysis of cities were influenced by Dr. Batty’s and Dr. Longley's book.  While doing my dissertation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on the land use impacts of an airport on urban structure/morphology,  one of my advisers, Bill Huxhold, a pioneer in GIS, recommended that I read this book.  In a ‘fractal-like’ manner, this book and its ideas were mentioned in the context of the dissertation, but at this time, I had not delved into the application of fractal analysis and complexity to urban form.  Later, I published some papers directly related to fractal analysis of urban form and ‘spun’ off to other areas such as using the metaphors of complexity theory, including fractals, to understand urban processes and provide new ways to approach urban planning in the Post-Modern era. I also delved into agent-based modeling and its integration with  Spatial Technology and developed several courses in the area. It was my great fortune to meet with both authors about ten years later. This are is so vast and fast developing that anyone who says that they are an expert in applications of complexity theory, fractal and agent-based modeling to urbanization, is probably mistaken.  I gladly accept that I am a novice and trudge on marveling, musing, exploring and ‘weaving tales’ (writing papers etc.) in the manner of a the manner of a metaphorical ‘shaman.’

I have recently co-edited a book along with two of my colleagues Ivani Vassoler-Froelich , and JesúsTreviño-Cantú, The Geography, Politics, and Architecture of Cities: Studies in the Creation and Complexification of Culture which includes two my articles, one on complexity theory and the other urban morphology.  There are also other excellent articles pertaining to other aspects of urbanism. It is published by The Edwin Mellen Press is available for ordering directly through the publisher at http://www.mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=8568&pc=9 . It is also available through Amazon and Barnes and Nobles by searching on the title.  This represents a good book for not only as a reference for those teach or conduct research in urbanism, but also is one that it is enjoyable to read and is approachable even if you are not a urbanist.

Lecture of Michael Batty on Complexity and Cities

Complexity, Scaling and Cities from Maria Legault on Vimeo.