Cellular Automata Modeling for Urban and Regional Planning

In recent decades, cellular automata (CA) have become popular for evaluating and forecasting urban transformation over time and space, especially in rapidly developing countries. These models enhance the understanding of urban dynamics and the complex interplay between land-use changes and urban sustainability. CA help governments, planners, and stakeholders to predict and evaluate the potential outcomes of future policy alternatives before making decisions. Thus, CA are frequently used to create what-if scenarios for policy implementation. This chapter includes an overview of the basic and state-of-the-art concepts and methods in urban CA modeling, as well as the latest studies, applications, and current problems. First, we conduct a systematic review of urban CA modeling to provide critical comments on previous and recent studies. The basic techniques, including the components of a basic CA model, modifications for urban modeling, and collection of data sources, are then provided, along with a classification of different types of urban CA. Finally, the applications of CA in urban studies and planning practices are presented, as well as discussions of further research. We also point out the major problems in recent studies and applications for further research.