Emergence of Frontiers in Networked Schelling
Segregationist Models
Philippe Collard
Nice Sophia Antipolis University
I3S Laboratory
Parc Valrose, 06108 Nice, France
and
Institut des Systèmes Complexes—Paris Ile-de-France
57-59 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
philippe.collard@unice.fr
Salma Mesmoudi
Institut des Systèmes Complexes—Paris Ile-de-France
57-59 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
salma.mesmoudi@iscpif.fr
Teodor Ghetiu
Fiona Polack
York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis
University of York, UK
teodorg@cs.york.ac.uk, fiona@cs.york.ac.uk
Abstract
The relation between individuality and aggregation is an important topic in complex systems sciences, both aspects being facets of emergence. This topic has frequently been addressed by adopting a classical, individual versus population level perspective. Here, however, the frontiers that emerge in segregated communities are the focus; segregation is synonymous with the existence of frontiers that delineate and interface aggregates. A generic agent-based model is defined, with which we simulate communities located on grid and scale-free networked environments. Emerging frontiers are analyzed in terms of their relative occupancy, porosity, and permeability. Results emphasize that the frontier is highly sensitive to the topology of the environment, not only to the agent tolerance. These relations are clarified while addressing the topics of frontier robustness and the trade-off between its capacity to separate and allow exchange.
