Multi-agent systems for simulating and planning land use development

This paper proposes a new method to simulate development plans based on the integration of multi-agent systems (MAS) and cellular automata (CA). The proposed model consists of three related components, i.e., multi-agent systems, cellular automata (CA) and GIS. The mechanism to achieve spatial and temporal efficiency in using land resources is implemented according to the theories of environmental economics and sustainable development. This scheme is helpful for promoting sustainable use of land resources in fast growing regions. The proposed model is applied to the simulation of land use dynamics in the Haizhu district of Guangzhou in 1995-2010. The model is able to simulate various planning scenarios and provide a spatial exploratory tool for planning purposes.