An agent-based model for spatial population simulation based on the labor equilibrium of market: a case study of a rapidly developing manufacturing metropolis

In order to overcome the limitations found in the existing research, this paper presents a Spatial Population Model based on the Equilibrium of the Labor Market (SPM-ELM). In this model, the relationship between labor supply and labor demand is defined, as it has significant influence on population size. An agent-based approach is used to simulate the economic behaviors and residential decisions of individuals in the population which eventually have consequences on spatial population distribution. The SPM-ELM model was verified by simulating the spatial population distribution of Dongguan, an emerging and renowned manufacturing metropolis in the Pearl River Delta.