ON THE COMPLEXITY OF URBAN LAND USE CHANGE: or, What Theoretical Models Leave in the Dust

Abstract

The essence of theory is simplification. Too often, however,
\nthat simplification is myopic, and itself becomes the basis of a
\nnew image of reality. Urban land use theories are one example.
\nTheir view of a timeless monocentric and featureless city composed
\nof utility-maximizing robots and single commodity firms, whose
\nactions are uninhibited by public values or policy cons~raints,
\nbears increasingly little resemblance to the modern complex multidimensional
\nand highly political urban landscape.
\nThe purpose of this paper is three-fold: to review some of the
\ndeficiencies of current theoretical and planning models; to document,
\nempirically, the complexity of urban land use structure and change;
\nand to outline a framework for a continuing research effort at analyzing
\nmacro and micro-level processes of land use change.