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Itzhak Omer

Bio: Itzhak Omer is an academic researcher from Tel Aviv University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Street network & Space syntax. The author has an hindex of 18, co-authored 64 publications receiving 1378 citations.


Papers
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01 Jan 2000

319 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the dynamics of the ethnic residential distribution in the Yaffo area of Tel Aviv, which is jointly occupied by Arab and Jewish residents, is simulated by means of an entity-based (EB) model.
Abstract: The dynamics of the ethnic residential distribution in the Yaffo area of Tel Aviv, which is jointly occupied by Arab and Jewish residents, is simulated by means of an entity-based (EB) model. EB models consider householders as separate entities, whose residential behavior is defined by the properties of the surrounding infrastructure and of other householders. The power of the EB approach lies in its ability to interpret directly different forms of decisionmaker behavior in the model's terms. Several scenarios of residential interactions between members of local ethnic groups are compared on the basis of detailed georeferenced data taken from Israel's 1995 Population Census. The model simulates very closely the residential dynamics during the period 1955^95; the importance of the qualitative aspects of residential choice, as captured by the EB approach, is demonstrated by this correspondence.

183 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Itzhak Omer1
TL;DR: A framework for evaluating house-level accessibility to urban services based on detailed geo-referenced socio-demographic census data is presented and applied to assess spatial equity regarding the accessibility of individuals and social groups to urban parks in the city of Tel Aviv.

120 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the morphogenesis of a new cultural or social entity emerging out of the city dynamics, which can be described as a spatial mosaic of coexisting cultural and social groups.
Abstract: Modern, or rather postmodern, cities are characterized by spatial, social and cultural pluralism: the city can be described as a spatial mosaic of coexisting cultural and social groups (see Chap. 2, Sect. 2.13). Some of these groups, such as Little-Italy or China Town, are the product of ‘old’ ethnic groups who emigrated to the city as already established cultural groups, while others, and this is the more recent phenomenon, are the dialectical product of the city itself (Yuppies, Gays, Lesbians). If in the two previous chapters our aim was to study the way already established cultural groups participate in constructing the city’s cultural and socio—spatial mosaic, our aim here is to examine the way a new cultural, or social, spatial entity emerges out of the city dynamics. The general question here concerns, of course, morphogenesis: the way a new spatial socio—cultural entity is born.

98 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The study shows that a pedestrian movement distribution can be explained mainly by the spatial variables that represent properties of a street network, and that changes to this network structure are relatively rare, and pedestrian movement will not change in a fundamental way in the future.
Abstract: Transportation planning is changing. What used to be a concern with motorized vehicles only is evolving into a discipline dealing with multimodal systems where priority is given to transit and nonmotorized means of transport, chief among them being walking. The city of Bat Yam in Israel has chosen to pioneer planning for pedestrians as an integral component of its transportation master plan. This article presents a novel use of pedestrian movement modeling within urban transportation planning, by means of pedestrian movement volume prediction maps for the city, both at its current state today and at its future state planned for the year 2030. The study shows that a pedestrian movement distribution can be explained mainly by the spatial variables that represent properties of a street network. Changes to this network structure are relatively rare, and, therefore, pedestrian movement will not change in a fundamental way in the future. Furthermore, by overlaying the models for pedestrian movement and motorized traffic, as well as the underlying public transit and bicycle networks, focus can be on those streets and places where conflicts among the various road users (i.e., pedestrians, bicycles, transit vehicles, and private cars) are expected.

97 citations


Cited by
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01 Jan 2002

9,314 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, an overview of multi-agent system models of land-use/cover change (MAS/LUCC) is presented, which combine a cellular landscape model with agent-based representations of decisionmaking, integrating the two components through specification of interdependencies and feedbacks between agents and their environment.
Abstract: This paper presents an overview of multi-agent system models of land-use/cover change (MAS/LUCC models). This special class of LUCC models combines a cellular landscape model with agent-based representations of decisionmaking, integrating the two components through specification of interdependencies and feedbacks between agents and their environment. The authors review alternative LUCC modeling techniques and discuss the ways in which MAS/LUCC models may overcome some important limitations of existing techniques. We briefly review ongoing MAS/LUCC modeling efforts in four research areas. We discuss the potential strengths of MAS/LUCC models and suggest that these strengths guide researchers in assessing the appropriate choice of model for their particular research question. We find that MAS/LUCC models are particularly well suited for representing complex spatial interactions under heterogeneous conditions and for modeling decentralized, autonomous decision making. We discuss a range of possible roles for MAS/LUCC models, from abstract models designed to derive stylized hypotheses to empirically detailed simulation models appropriate for scenario and policy analysis. We also discuss the challenge of validation and verification for MAS/LUCC models. Finally, we outline important challenges and open research questions in this new field. We conclude that, while significant challenges exist, these models offer a promising new tool for researchers whose goal is to create fine-scale models of LUCC phenomena that focus on human-environment interactions.

1,779 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A cellular automaton simulation model developed to predict urban growth as part of a project for estimating the regional and broader impact of urbanization on the San Francisco Bay area's climate is described.
Abstract: In this paper we describe a cellular automaton (CA) simulation model developed to predict urban growth as part of a project for estimating the regional and broader impact of urbanization on the San Francisco Bay area's climate. The rules of the model are more complex than those of a typical CA and involve the use of multiple data sources, including topography, road networks, and existing settlement distributions, and their modification over time. In addition, the control parameters of the model are allowed to self-modify: that is, the CA adapts itself to the circumstances it generates, in particular, during periods of rapid growth or stagnation. In addition, the model was written to allow the accumulation of probabilistic estimates based on Monte Carlo methods. Calibration of the model has been accomplished by the use of historical maps to compare model predictions of urbanization, based solely upon the distribution in year 1900, with observed data for years 1940, 1954, 1962, 1974, and 1990. The complexity of this model has made calibration a particularly demanding step. Lessons learned about the methods, measures, and strategies developed to calibrate the model may be of use in other environmental modeling contexts. With the calibration complete, the model is being used to generate a set of future scenarios for the San Francisco Bay area along with their probabilities based on the Monte Carlo version of the model. Animated dynamic mapping of the simulations will be used to allow visualization of the impact of future urban growth.

1,358 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the material frames of daily life are constituted and represented through social practices, not as separate elements but in relation to each other, and they then become fundamental to the exploration of political, economic and ecological alternatives to contemporary life.
Abstract: This book engages with the politics of social and environmental justice, and seeks new ways to think about the future of urbanization in the twenty-first century. It establishes foundational concepts for understanding how space, time, place and nature the material frames of daily life are constituted and represented through social practices, not as separate elements but in relation to each other. It describes how geographical differences are produced, and shows how they then become fundamental to the exploration of political, economic and ecological alternatives to contemporary life.

1,246 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the spatial pattern of urbanization in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Arizona, USA was quantified using landscape metrics with a gradient analysis approach, and the location of the urbanization center could be identified precisely and consistently with multiple indices.
Abstract: Urbanization is arguably the most dramatic form of land transformation that profoundly influences biological diversity and human life. Quantifying landscape pattern and its change is essential for the monitoring and assessment of ecological consequences of urbanization. Combining gradient analysis with landscape metrics, we attempted to quantify the spatial pattern of urbanization in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Arizona, USA. Several landscape metrics were computed along a 165 km long and 15 km wide transect with a moving window. The research was designed to address four research questions: How do different land use types change with distance away from the urban center? Do different land use types have their own unique spatial signatures? Can urbanization gradients be detected using landscape pattern analysis? How do the urban gradients differ among landscape metrics? The answers to these questions were generally affirmative and informative. The results showed that the spatial pattern of urbanization could be reliably quantified using landscape metrics with a gradient analysis approach, and the location of the urbanization center could be identified precisely and consistently with multiple indices. Different land use types exhibited distinctive, but not necessarily unique, spatial signatures that were dependent on specific landscape metrics. The changes in landscape pattern along the transect have important ecological implications, and quantifying the urbanization gradient, as illustrated in this paper, is an important first step to linking pattern with processes in urban ecological studies.

885 citations