Abstract
Resilience-related topics have been gaining importance for urban planners and policy makers over the last decades. In this chapter, we argue that agent-based modeling (ABM) offers a promising tool to assess and test resilience-related measures which are planned and implemented in urban neighborhoods. We demonstrate potentials, but also limitations of the method, using the concept of urban electricity sharing as a demonstration case. Electricity sharing systems are based on decentralized electricity generation and large batteries. The availability of such a system can provide local communities with a back-up system during black-outs, which may occur in the aftermath of catastrophic events such as natural or man-made disasters. When real-world tests are costly or impossible, agent-based models can be used to investigate possible collective behaviors and inefficiencies of such a system. Despite limitations when extrapolating results from simulation runs to the real world, and several other challenges, we conclude that the utilization of agent-based models can very well aid planners and policy makers in designing more resilient cities.
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We used NetLogo version 5.3. There are numerous alternative software packages for implementing ABM, e.g. Anylogic, Ascape, Gama, MASON, MATSim or Repast. Some advantages of NetLogo are free accessibility, beginner-friendliness and easy graphical representation of models.
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Brudermann, T., Hofer, C., Yamagata, Y. (2016). Agent-Based Modeling—A Tool for Urban Resilience Research?. In: Yamagata, Y., Maruyama, H. (eds) Urban Resilience. Advanced Sciences and Technologies for Security Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39812-9_8
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