Simulation, Synthesis and Urban Public Decision-Making

The 1960's saw the introduction of simulation techniques into the area of urban and regional planning. The present paper describes a large-scale urban simulation effort currently underway in Vancouver, British Columbia. The project differs from similar work in a number of ways. Most notably, the current effort stresses the process of model-building, including the widespread public use and discussion of the work and its limitations.

The paper emphasizes this process orientation, and illustrates the content of the models with a detailed description of the economic submodel. This submodel combines input-output analysis with a simulation model of final demands to yield consistent economic forecasts for the region. Capsule summaries of the other submodels are also presented. The paper concludes with a focus on questions of use and misuse of simulation models.