CLUSTER: Clustered Locations of Urban Services, Transport, and Economic Resources
CLUSTER simulates how suppliers and retailers locate under homogeneous or heterogeneous product settings.
Quick Start
- Choose homogeneous or heterogeneous goods.
- Set the global, Product X, and Product Y parameters.
- Click Restore to initialize the current scenario.
- Click Evolve to run the model through rounds.
- Use the timeline buttons to inspect earlier or later rounds.
Example Uses
- Homogeneous comparison: run with default settings, then change shipping cost and rerun.
- Heterogeneous comparison: enable X and Y products and compare whether retailers cluster or separate.
- Market size: vary the number of customers and suppliers to inspect spatial patterns.
Things To Notice
- Use Restore after changing sliders so the new settings are applied cleanly.
- Statistics summarizes the current run; screenshots are useful for classroom comparison.
References
- Huang, A., and Levinson, D. (2011). Why retailers cluster: an agent model of location choice on supply chains. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 38(1), 82-94. https://doi.org/10.1068/b36018
- Liao, C.-F., Liu, H. X., and Levinson, D. M. (2009). Simulating Transportation for Realistic Engineering Education and Training: Engaging Undergraduate Students in Transportation Studies. Transportation Research Record, 2109, 12-21. https://doi.org/10.3141/2109-02
- Original STREET project: Simulating Transportation for Realistic Engineering Education and Training, University of Minnesota legacy project site. http://street.umn.edu