The objectives of the dissertation are to: (1) deductively compare five commonly used multiattribute decision making techniques and clarify the meanings of weights and (2) empirically evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques. The five techniques are multiattribute utility theory (MAUT),...

A computer simulation, based on the garbage-can decisionmaking process, is presented in order to investigate effects of making plans and of two other organizational characteristics -- namely, decision cost and problem disutility -- on the behavior of complex systems. In this simulation a...

In this simulation, based on a spatial garbage-can model, I treat the urban dynamic system as a set of random-walk elements interacting with each other in time. Five elements are considered: decisionmakers, choice opportunities, problems, solutions, and locations. Decisionmakers, problems, and...

On the basis of the presumption that the effects of plans for urban development are influenced highly by the decision mechanisms under which plans function, we compare deductively four interactive strategies derived from three regimes of policies, namely, fixed, emergent, and no policies, based...

Based on the assumptions that cities are semi-lattices and that their spatial configuration are complex structure, I use one-dimensional cellular automaton representing a hypothetical, linear city as an analytic tool to investigate possible transition rules fulfilling these requirements, and...

The quality of the urban living environment is strongly related to the provision and planning or design of public facilities, of which NIMBY, not-in-my-back-yard, facilities are often resisted by residents. Therefore, selecting the location for NIMBY facilities has become more and more difficult...