ABSTRACT
In the preceding chapter, we set up dynamical equations for some important urban subsystems and carried through in depth an analysis of the stability of equilibrium points. This forms the basis of a ‛comparative static’ approach to the analysis of change, but with more than the usual interest because of the possibilities of bifurcation. In this chapter, we extend the argument to systems which are not in equilibrium. In Section 6.2 we discuss bifurcation and disequilibrium and the effect of fluctuations on systems. The argument is extended in Section 6.3 to control theory. In Section 6.4, a number of results are drawn together and it is shown that an alternative formulation of central place theory can be developed. Some directions for future research are considered briefly in Section 6.5.
