segregation_zoom
Do you have questions or comments about this model? Ask them here! (You'll first need to log in.)
WHAT IS IT?
This project models the behavior of two types of turtles in a mythical pond. The red turtles and green turtles get along with one another. But each turtle wants to make sure that it lives near some of "its own." That is, each red turtle wants to live near at least some red turtles, and each green turtle wants to live near at least some green turtles. The simulation shows how these individual preferences ripple through the pond, leading to large-scale patterns.
This project was inspired by Thomas Schelling's writings about social systems (such as housing patterns in cities).
HOW TO USE IT
Click the SETUP button to set up the turtles. There are equal numbers of red and green turtles. The turtles move around until there is at most one turtle on a patch. Click GO to start the simulation. If turtles don't have enough same-color neighbors, they jump to a nearby patch.
The NUMBER slider controls the total number of turtles. (It takes effect the next time you click SETUP.) The %-SIMILAR-WANTED slider controls the percentage of same-color turtles that each turtle wants among its neighbors. For example, if the slider is set at 30, each green turtle wants at least 30% of its neighbors to be green turtles.
The % SIMILAR monitor shows the average percentage of same-color neighbors for each turtle. It starts at about 50%, since each turtle starts (on average) with an equal number of red and green turtles as neighbors. The % UNHAPPY monitor shows the percent of turtles that have fewer same-color neighbors than they want (and thus want to move). Both monitors are also plotted.
THINGS TO NOTICE
When you execute SETUP, the red and green turtles are randomly distributed throughout the pond. But many turtles are "unhappy" since they don't have enough same-color neighbors. The unhappy turtles jump to new locations in the vicinity. But in the new locations, they might tip the balance of the local population, prompting other turtles to leave. If a few red turtles move into an area, the local green turtles might leave. But when the green turtles move to a new area, they might prompt red turtles to leave that area.
Over time, the number of unhappy turtles decreases. But the pond becomes more segregated, with clusters of red turtles and clusters of green turtles.
In the case where each turtle wants at least 30% same-color neighbors, the turtles end up with (on average) 70% same-color neighbors. So relatively small individual preferences can lead to significant overall segregation.
THINGS TO TRY
Try different values for %-SIMILAR-WANTED. How does the overall degree of segregation change?
If each turtle wants at least 40% same-color neighbors, what percentage (on average) do they end up with?
EXTENDING THE MODEL
Incorporate social networks into this model. For instance, have unhappy turtles decide on a new location based on information about what a neighborhood is like from other turtles in their network.
Change the rules for turtle happiness. One idea: suppose that the turtles need some minimum threshold of "good neighbors" to be happy with their location. Suppose further that they don't always know if someone makes a good neighbor. When they do, they use that information. When they don't, they use color as a proxy -- i.e., they assume that turtles of the same color make good neighbors.
NETLOGO FEATURES
N-OF and SPROUT are used to create turtles while ensuring no patch has more than one turtle on it.
When a turtle moves, MOVE-TO is used to move the turtle to the center of the patch it eventually finds.
CREDITS AND REFERENCES
Schelling, T. (1978). Micromotives and Macrobehavior. New York: Norton.
See also a recent Atlantic article: Rauch, J. (2002). Seeing Around Corners; The Atlantic Monthly; April 2002;Volume 289, No. 4; 35-48. http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2002/04/rauch.htm
To refer to this model in academic publications, please use: Wilensky, U. (1997). NetLogo Segregation model. http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/Segregation. Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
In other publications, please use: Copyright 1997 Uri Wilensky. All rights reserved. See http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/Segregation for terms of use.
Comments and Questions
globals [ percent-similar ;; on the average, what percent of a turtle's neighbors ;; are the same color as that turtle? percent-unhappy ;; what percent of the turtles are unhappy? moves ;; number of moves by all the agents potential-moves unhappy-turtle ] turtles-own [ happy? ;; for each turtle, indicates whether at least %-similar-wanted percent of ;; that turtles' neighbors are the same color as the turtle similar-nearby ;; how many neighboring patches have a turtle with my color? other-nearby ;; how many have a turtle of another color? total-nearby ;; sum of previous two variables ] to setup clear-all if number > count patches [ user-message (word "This pond only has room for " count patches " turtles.") stop ] ask patches [ set pcolor yellow ] ;; create turtles on random patches. set-default-shape turtles "circle" ask n-of number patches [ sprout 1 [ set color green ] ] ;; turn half the turtles green ask n-of (number / 2) turtles [ set color blue ] update-variables do-plots if not all? turtles [happy?] [if [happy?] of turtle unhappy-turtle = true [ set unhappy-turtle [who] of one-of turtles with [not happy?]] if watch-turtle? [watch turtle unhappy-turtle]] end to go if all? turtles [happy?] [ stop ] move-unhappy-turtles update-variables tick set potential-moves (ticks * number) do-plots end to move-unhappy-turtles ask turtles with [ not happy? ] [ find-new-spot set moves moves + 1 ] end to find-new-spot rt random-float 360 fd random-float 10 if any? other turtles-here [ find-new-spot ] ;; keep going until we find an unoccupied patch move-to patch-here ;; move to center of patch end to update-variables update-turtles update-globals end to update-turtles ask turtles [ ;; in next two lines, we use "neighbors" to test the eight patches ;; surrounding the current patch set similar-nearby count (turtles-on neighbors) with [color = [color] of myself] set other-nearby count (turtles-on neighbors) with [color != [color] of myself] set total-nearby similar-nearby + other-nearby set happy? similar-nearby >= ( %-similar-wanted * total-nearby / 100 )] end to update-globals let similar-neighbors sum [similar-nearby] of turtles let total-neighbors sum [total-nearby] of turtles set percent-similar (similar-neighbors / total-neighbors) * 100 set percent-unhappy (count turtles with [not happy?]) / (count turtles) * 100 end to do-plots set-current-plot "Percent Similar" plot percent-similar ; set-current-plot "Percent Unhappy" ; plot percent-unhappy end ; *** NetLogo 4.0.2 Model Copyright Notice *** ; ; This model was created as part of the project: CONNECTED MATHEMATICS: ; MAKING SENSE OF COMPLEX PHENOMENA THROUGH BUILDING OBJECT-BASED PARALLEL ; MODELS (OBPML). The project gratefully acknowledges the support of the ; National Science Foundation (Applications of Advanced Technologies ; Program) -- grant numbers RED #9552950 and REC #9632612. ; ; Copyright 1997 by Uri Wilensky. All rights reserved. ; ; Permission to use, modify or redistribute this model is hereby granted, ; provided that both of the following requirements are followed: ; a) this copyright notice is included. ; b) this model will not be redistributed for profit without permission ; from Uri Wilensky. ; Contact Uri Wilensky for appropriate licenses for redistribution for ; profit. ; ; This model was converted to NetLogo as part of the projects: ; PARTICIPATORY SIMULATIONS: NETWORK-BASED DESIGN FOR SYSTEMS LEARNING ; IN CLASSROOMS and/or INTEGRATED SIMULATION AND MODELING ENVIRONMENT. ; The project gratefully acknowledges the support of the ; National Science Foundation (REPP & ROLE programs) -- ; grant numbers REC #9814682 and REC-0126227. ; Converted from StarLogoT to NetLogo, 2001. ; ; To refer to this model in academic publications, please use: ; Wilensky, U. (1997). NetLogo Segregation model. ; http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/Segregation. ; Center for Connected Learning and Computer-Based Modeling, ; Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. ; ; In other publications, please use: ; Copyright 1997 Uri Wilensky. All rights reserved. ; See http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/models/Segregation ; for terms of use. ; ; *** End of NetLogo 4.0.2 Model Copyright Notice ***
There is only one version of this model, created over 13 years ago by Sharona T Levy.
Attached files
No files
This model does not have any ancestors.
This model does not have any descendants.