From Fractal Urban Pattern Analysis to Fractal Urban Planning Concepts - Computational Approaches for Urban Environments - page 35

2.6.2 Applying the Concept

Of course, the Sierpinski carpets presented are not directly suitable for concrete
applications. We have explored different approaches which all take advantage of the
possibility of changing the position of elements in a fractal without modifying its
fractal properties. Let us emphasize that the objective is not to radically change the
urban fabric but to provide support for further development in a given situation. For
this aim, planning rules are introduced on various topics:

￿ Fractal standards and supplementary morphological standards like the articula-

tion of built-up space and open landscape across scales

￿ The evaluation of accessibility of urban amenities (retail centers, services) and

green amenities (leisure areas)

￿ The potential of city size development (rank-size distribution of cities)

￿ Natural and environmental constraints or recommendations

Two main approaches have been developed and are currently being tested.
We present first the approach implemented in the MUP-city simulation tool for
developing scenarios for further urbanization but which is more suitable for the more
local scale of periurban communes. Then, we discuss the Fractalopolis approach
which is better adapted when considering the scale of metropolitan areas.

2.6.2.1 MUP-city

This concept has been developed in cooperation with Cécile Tannier and Hélène
Houot (both members of the Théma research institute) as part of a research project
of the PREDIT 3 program financed by the French Ministry of the Environment and
Sustainable Development and the Environment and Energy Management Agency
(ADEME) (Tannier et al. 2010 ; Frankhauser et al. 2011 ; Frankhauser 2013 ).
A software tool has been developed by Gilles Vuidel for developing scenarios for
further urbanization.
It has been applied to several periurban zones of Besançon, a medium-sized
city in the east of France, and modified versions are currently being tested for
the Luxembourg area. Moreover, it is used for simulating local scenarios in the
framework developed with the enlarged model, Fractalopolis, presented below.
The approach is also inspired both by the grid analysis mentioned in Sect. 2.4.1
and by the iterative mapping procedure used for generating the Sierpinski carpet in
Fig. 2.3 . We assume that a square-like zone is selected for exploring possible future
urbanization. We apply a procedure we call “fractal decomposition.” The zone is
covered by nine grid squares of equal sizes. The user now sets, as with a generator,
how many grid squares in which building is authorized. Let us assume he chooses
as fractal standard N norm D 6. Now, the grid squares already containing buildings are
identified. Let us assume N emp grid squares contain buildings. If N emp N norm ,then