PROBELMS IN URBAN MODELING - A REVIEW OF 'THE POLITICIAN, THE BUREAUCRAT, AND THE CONSULTANT'

• NCJ Number: 14380
• Author(s): P DELEON
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Rand Corporation; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

SUMMARY AND CRITIQUE OF A BOOK ON URBAN PROBLEM SOLVING FOCUSING ON ITS TREATMENT OF COMPUTER URBAN SIMULATION.

Abstract

THE REVIEWER FOUND THIS WORK TO BE A VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE LITERATURE OF COMPUTER SIMULATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO URBAN STUDIES. HE SUMMARIZES THE CONTENTS OF THE BOOK AND GIVES SOME OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS USED BY ITS AUTHOR. NOTED ARE THE MECHANICS OF MODEL BUILDING, THE SET OF THEORETICAL, TECHNICAL, ETHICAL, AND PROGMATIC APPRAISAL TECHNIQUES OFFERED, AND THE CASE STUDIES OF SAN FRANCISCO AND PITTSBURGH EXPERIENCES WITH URBAN SIMULATION MODELS. COMMENTS ARE THEN OFFERED ON THE AREAS IN WHICH THE AUTHOR COULD HAVE BEEN MORE EXPLICIT IN HIS ASSUMPTIONS OR EXPOSITION. THESE AREAS INCLUDE THE SCOPE OF THE AUTHOR'S INTENDED AUDIENCE, HIS CONSIDERATION OF THE 'ETHICAL' COMPONENT OF URBAN MODELS, AND THE INFLUENCE OF A BUREAUCRACY'S SELF-INTEREST ON THE SELECTION OF MODELING AS A TECHNIQUE.