Scholarly record
CITIES, ANTHILLS AND BEEHIVES. CONCLUSIONS FROM ANALYZING SCALING LAW RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHOSEN URBAN FEATURES WITH SELF-ORGANIZING MAPS.
Abstract
Is it possible to learn more from the fact that cities are subject to scaling laws, than just about their complexity? It is often pointed out that along with the increase in size, some important characteristics of cities do not grow linearly but exponentially - in some cases - as in the case of infrastructure development - with an exponent smaller than one; and in some, as in the case of residents' income - with an exponent greater than one. This means that larger cities use the acquired resources more effectively. But does it mean anything else? This article is an attempt to critically summarize the knowledge which the scaling laws bring to the science of cities. The research carried out on all Polish cities, and implementing Self-Organizing Maps, indicate relatively small cognitive benefits from the search for evidence that subsequent areas of the functioning of cities are being subject to scaling laws.Yes – the results of statistical analyzes show, that the characteristics of cities, considered important to their development, do not show linear relationships with the number of inhabitants. Yes – the scaling laws between many features of the city, and the exponent of this kind of distribution close to 1 are important because they indicate the existence of strong and complex relationships between elements of the system. In large cities, this phenomenon is expected and confirmed many times. But the exponent changes over time and does not show any correlation with changes in the population. The question therefore should no longer be: “Are cities complex and which of their features are subject to scaling laws?”, but: “What makes them complex and which properties are responsible for being subject to these laws?”.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
ReferencesPending
Structured references will appear here after the reference import pass. The count is preserved now so the scholarly record is not incomplete.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.