Invitation workshop S4 MODUS in UCL (Belgium), 9th November 2007

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to the second MODUS workshop on
the emergence of complex urban forms that will be held at CORE in
Louvain-la-Neuve the 9th of November 2007.

MODUS is a S4 working group which is aimed at revealing the processes
that generate urban structures and strengthening the theories
underlying urban simulation modelling.

Please find enclosed the provisional program of the workshop.

Best regards,

Marie Noelle ([email protected])

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The Università della Svizzera Italiana, represented by the Institute of Contemporary Urban Project i.CUP, the MACS-lab (Modelling and Application of Complex Systems Laboratory) at the Accademia di architettura of Mendrisio and the Istituto di Ricerche Economiche of Lugano IRE, is a member of the European Research Group “Spatial Simulation for Social Sciences” (ERG S4) coordinated by the prof. D. Pumain and by the Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique (CNRS, France).

The S4 network aims at building a critical mass of excellent capabilities through joint activities in the field of spatial urban and regional modelling. The network will also foster the delivery of these new capabilities to a wider range of potential users throughout the EU, both in the academic world and in a variety of institutions confronted with the management of European space at different scales. The networking activities should lower the threshold for achieving local collective excellence.

Members of the network have designed a common approach to spatial modelling: models should take into account the user’s demand and try to merge as far as possible expert and layman knowledge in the model by explicit integration of decision processes and their evaluation methods; complex spatial models are multilevel in that they mix individual behaviour and choices with aggregate components of the spatial configuration (structure and relative location of territories and network at various scales of organisation); dynamic modelling and previsions rely on detailed knowledge of temporal processes with different time-scales; models never remain purely theoretical but are always applied in several different spatial contexts and compared by referring each of them to specific use and applications; coupling of elementary modules is a method for model building which is preferred to the former construction of large comprehensive but hardly exportable models.

Main expected results

1. An analytical comparative inventory of spatial models for social science researchers; interfaces between different modelling concepts and frameworks, including:

• Large scale (spatial and temporal) dynamic models for exploring the possible future evolution of European population and activities distributions (European, national, regional and local scales) and policy testing.
• Flexible and integrated models for spatial simulation aiming at specific needs of urban planners and regional management bodies, including visualisation of simulation results of different policies.
• Interactive computer tools for local policies for a sustainable development; Models for on line map production (e.g. comparative and animated maps).
2. Increase of interdisciplinary knowledge on spatial change and interaction of social processes.
3. Diffusion of knowledge in member states and candidate states through:

§ Development of dedicated websites
§ Multilingual (French/English/Spanish) Encyclopedia of concepts in geography: Hypergeo
§ Electronic publication platform (Special issues of Cybergeo, European Journal of Geography)
§ Organization of international meetings
§ Advanced training workshops

The ERG S4 officially begins at the 1st of January 2006 and will last 4 years.
The S4 website is accessible at http://s4.parisgeo.cnrs.fr/
Contact for USI: Alberto Vancheri