The application of fractal analysis and spatial technologies for urban analysis
The application of fractal analysis and spatial technologies for urban analysis Michael A. McAdams [1] Abstract Urban areas and their built form are the result of complex cultural, social, economic, and technological agents/processes and their physical environment. Traditional forms of analysis (i.e., linear modeling, statistics) have wrestled with the chaotic nature of urban systems and the urban built form with an increasing amount of apparent sophistication (i.e. additional algorythms , new models) often with no significant increase in accuracy or understanding. Fractal analysis, which is firmly grounded in chaos theory, allied with spatial technologies (i.e., Geographic Information Systems, Remote Sensing, spatial modeling) is proving to an innovative technique to study urban form/structure. This paper discusses how fractal analysis can be used to evaluate urban form. The findings of those that have applied fractal anlysis to study urban form, including the author, have c...