ABSTRACT
Building a model on a heuristic basis is not wrong in itself. Unlike the physical process which is subject to a universal law, processes involving human and environment interaction such as urban growth are complicated and often ill-defined. However, it is exactly this level of complexity inherent in urban development that justifies a simulation approach, because it is often the only practical way to study these complex systems. Without actually building a model, often in the media of computer, it is hard to imagine their complex behaviour and associated spatial forms. The question is whether we can have confidence in this versatile approach?
