SETTLEMENT FORMATION AT THE MESOSCALE

The nonlinear interactive dynamic process of settlement formation is a fundamental issue in spatial analysis. Our proposed model integrates the economic and migratory sectors as endogenous variables to describe the evolution of continuous population distributions as a self-organi zing process. The model has been designed as follows: an ensemble of p opulations is described by the respective population densities over th e plane, with the latter being tessellated into equivalent unit cells. Populations produce commodities, and the net incomes of the individua ls depend on local production costs, including fixed costs and the tra nsportation costs between the places of production to consumption. The refore, local income depends on population densities. The economy is a ssumed to be in a momentary quasi-equilibrium with reference to the po pulation distribution. The evolution of the population distribution is described by nonlinear migratory equations of motion. The driving for ces within these equations are local differences in individual incomes . These motivate individuals to migrate to locations of optimal income . This process leads to the evolution of spatially heterogeneous popul ation distributions forming the settlements.