Reliability and generalizability of Gray–Scott reaction–diffusion urban morphogenesis

Determine whether the Gray–Scott reaction–diffusion model, when calibrated to urban data, can reliably reproduce observed urban spatial patterns across cities, and ascertain whether parameter combinations identified in one city generalize meaningfully to other cities.

Background

The review discusses an adaptation of the Gray–Scott reaction–diffusion system for modeling urban morphogenesis, where the model’s activator–inhibitor dynamics are mapped to social processes such as segregation and gentrification. Simulations calibrated with U.S. census data reproduced certain city morphologies, but the approach entails significant modeling choices and parameter tuning.

Because the mapping from social processes to the Gray–Scott mechanism and the transferability of parameter sets are not firmly established, the authors emphasize uncertainty about whether this model can systematically and robustly reproduce the variety of observed urban forms, and whether parameters fitted to a specific city can be used in other urban contexts without loss of predictive capability.