An empirical investigation of the use of Broadbent’s rule in spatial system design

Abstract

In the two previous chapters of this book and also in many other studies (see, for example, Baxter and Williams (1973), Batty et al. (1974), Batty and Masser (1975)), repeated reference is made to the principles set out by Broadbent (1969a, 1969b, 1970) and Barras et al. (1971) during the C.E.S./ Cheshire Study for selecting the desired level of spatial representation, and they have been given the status of a ‘rule’ in the literature (Batty et al., 1973, p. 353). In view of the importance that has been attached to these principles it is rather surprising to find that they have not yet been subjected to a detailed empirical investigation which examines the extent to which the assumptions upon which they are based are borne out in an operational situation. The present study was undertaken with a view to remedying this deficiency by an examination of the results obtained by the application of Broadbent’s rule to data relating to Merseyside. The results of this study are presented in two sections, the first of which discusses the basic principles set out by Broadbent and identifies the issues that must be resolved before they can be applied to operational situations, while the second presents the findings of an analysis of interaction data for Merseyside.