Self-organization in interface dynamics and urban development

The view of the urban environment as an extended nonlinear system introduce s new concepts, motivates new questions, and suggests new methodologies in the study of urban dynamics. A review of recent results on interface dynami cs in nonequilibrium physical systems is presented, and possible implicatio ns on the urban environment are discussed. It is suggested that the growth modes of specific urban zones (e.g. residential, commercial, or industrial) and the factors affecting them can be studied using mathematical models th at capture two generic interface instabilities.