acase@tulane.edu

This research investigation suggests a methodology for analyzing the spatial impacts of socio-economic changes in the urban environment. The study area is comprised of eighteen zones. Each zone reflects unique social and economic information resulting in a series of profiles of the study area. A linear programming algorithm is used to drive the interaction of elements of the system. Information is organized in the objective function of the linear program as an index of the relative socio-economic quality of each zone. This function is maximized subject to a series of constraints which reflect information about housing and economic requirements necessary for residency in each area. Changes in the environmental quality of each area are identified through the social accounting index and constraints in each location. The system is designed to link temporal models of housing production and cost changes, income and employment changes to optimal spatial allocation models. The results of this investigation suggest: (a) a procedure identifying key elements affecting locational decisions in the urban environment; (b) an impact analysis tool to assess impacts of changes in (a); (c) a mechanism offering the potential to assess impacts of public infrastructure investment on the attractiveness of social and economic areas, and (d) a forecasting procedure using linear programming to optimize within each time frame. Conceptual and design difficulties remain, and are identified. The structure developed herein provides an innovative foundation calculus for further understanding the critical variables that affect the location of economic classes in the urban environment / acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu