The theory of self-organization and modelling complex urban systems

Abstract In this article we focus on the problem the social scientist is confronted with when trying to model the complex and dynamic world he lives and works in, and on the different scientific paradigms of the ‘hard sciences’ which are at his disposition. We further concentrate our attention on the EMUS (=Evolutionary Models of Urban Systems) models which we developed using the concepts of the theory of Self-Organization and which we believe to be capable of unravelling some of the complexity of the real world. We will not dwell on the mathematical foundations of the model, but concentrate on the philosophical basis, some practical considerations about modelling and forecasting and on results we obtained on different spatial scales and in different socio-economic contexts.