ABSTRACT
Persistent urban problems like urban sprawl and socioeconomic segregation ultimately emerge from individuals’ choices about where to live. To understand this process, I develop an agent-based model to simulate social and economic influences on neighborhood choice in Danville, Illinois. In this model, household agents decide whether and where to relocate within the community based on factors such as neighborhood attractiveness, affordability, and the household’s social network. Comparison of simulated and observed migration patterns over a two-year period reveal the significance of components of social network choice such as income, race, and probability of local ties.
