Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

Abstract:
In order to study the mobility of households in Salzburg, an agent-based model was developed in NetLogo to simulate residential mobility. A number of predefined parameters such as income, rent, and income distribution were derived from existing statistics. These parameters were used to tune the model to real-world data. However, it is not possible to build an agent-based model (ABM) that coincides perfectly with the real world. The purpose of an ABM is to break down complexity and emphasize the role of certain events in a phenomenon. The model presented in this paper highlights the role of income and rent/housing costs in deciding the spatial location of an agent within a city. The model also stresses the possibility of finding segregation within Salzburg. Segregation is the clustering of similar agents based upon characteristics such as ethnicity, race, or income. The model finally shows that at least within this modeling approach, tolerance towards neighbors does not play a major role within the process of segregation, while rent and income have a major influence on the housing behavior.