In The New Science of Cities,
Michael Batty suggests that to understand cities
we must view them not simply as places in space
but as systems of networks and flows.
He presents the foundations of a new science of cities,
defining flows and their networks and introducing tools
that can be applied to understanding different aspects of city structure.
He examines the size of cities, their internal order,
the transport routes that define them, and the locations that fix these networks.
He introduces methods of simulation that range from simple stochastic models
to bottom-up evolutionary models to aggregate land-use transportation models.
Then, using largely the same tools,
he presents design and decision-making models
that predict interactions and flows in future cities.
These networks emphasize a notion with relevance for future research and planning:
that design of cities is collective action.
