Segregação espacial e formação de distritos comerciais: um modelo baseado em agentes

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the spatial organization of agents (merchants and residents) in cities using agent-based modeling, inspired by Christaller's Central Place Theory and the models of Schelling and Grauwin et al. The main objective is to analyze how agents' pursuit of individual utility maximization can generate spatial patterns similar to those observed in real urban centers, such as the formation of Central Business Districts (CBDs). For this purpose, the city was represented as a two-dimensional grid divided into blocks, where agents move according to probabilistic rules based on individual utility functions. The model simulates dynamics such as residents migrating to avoid overcrowding and merchants concentrating in areas with a minimum density of agents. We analyze how these interactions lead to the formation of organized spatial patterns. The results show that, even with simple rules, the model reproduces qualitative characteristics of spatial segregation and the formation of commercial clusters observed in real cities, contributing to the understanding of urban dynamics from a complex systems perspective.