ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the extent to which theoretical constructs can be used to explain urban land use and its corollary, urban land values. For such a device to merit the classification of model it must stem from a set of behavioural assumptions. The chapter presents the broad requirements of a model of urban land use. One of the great difficulties is the process of aggregation of the different behavioural statements into a "solvable" whole. For this reason, the chapter considers at length the problem of aggregation implied by such models and methods of obtaining a solution. The chapter reports briefly on the empirical work done on Ottawa to test the fruitfulness of such an approach to the urban reality. Since the project is still running, it constitutes only a progress report. The chapter deals in turn with the actors, the commodity and the behavioural assumptions used to specify a theoretical model.
