Dynamic effects of external and private transport costs on urban shape: a morphogenetic perspective

When we examine urban growth we often consider the dual relationship between variables that induce growth and variables that halt it. In this paper, we assume a mutual dependence between transportation costs and urban form, and by applying the morphogenetic algorithm, we determine the dynamic processes that this relationship induces to spatial urban changes. The objective of our model is to be able to describe the spillover and cumulative effects present in the urban growth process which have been missing in other studies. The model is developed within a dynamic framework and with the introduction of two specific elements: an accumulative trend of the variables and a diffusion process in their variation. The numerical simulation of an illustrative case study depicts how the entire urban shape can be modified in different ways by a transport system’s improvement.