Modelling sustainable urban growth in a rapidly urbanising region using a fuzzy-constrained cellular automata approach

To cite this article: Yan Liu (2012): Modelling sustainable urban growth in a rapidly urbanising region using a fuzzy-constrained cellular automata approach, This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. This article presents an application of a fuzzy-constrained cellular automata model to simulate the spatio-temporal processes of urban growth in the rapidly growing Gold Coast City in Southeast Queensland, Australia. Urban growth has been captured in the model as a continuous process in space and over time, which has been affected by a set of primary and secondary transition rules. The primary transition rules deal with the propensity of a local area for development and the impact of its neighbouring cells on such development, while the secondary transition rules reflect the influences of environmental and institutional factors on urban growth. Application of the model demonstrates its re-applicability to different regions and the effectiveness of the cellular automata technique in studying urban dynamics. It also provides tools to explore sustainable urban growth options under different socio-environmental and planning control factors. A sustainable urban future of the region is achievable if development is managed to maintain a balance amongst ecological conservation, economic growth and the contemporary Australian lifestyle. 1. Introduction Sustainable urban development has been of increasing interest in recent years following the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED 1987). Cities are now home to more than half of the world's population and are also becoming the battlefield for sustainable development (Curwell et al. 2005, Newton and Bai 2008). While the term sustainable development has been defined and widely accepted as development that 'meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' (WCED 1987, p8), this general and overarching concept has been applied and expanded with …