INTERMITTENCY MODEL FOR URBAN-DEVELOPMENT

The evolution of a stochastic reaction-diffusion model whose dynamics leads to the development of a strongly inhomogeneous, spatiotemporally intermittent density field is analytically and numerically studied. T he processes underlying the model can be identified with those that go vern urban development. The results for the reaction-diffusion model a re thus compared with data obtained from real human demography. Statis tical properties of urban distributions-in particular, the universal p ower law observed in the population frequency of cities-are successful ly reproduced by the model.