Statistical Teleodynamics of Emergent Equilibria in the Schelling Game
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The behavior of a Schelling type agent-based model is studied. Here the space is divided into blocks and agents move between blocks to attempt to maximize their utility, and the agent utility function is dependent on block density and parameters. At equilibrium, all agents have equal utility and the system could exhibit segregation in which agents cluster in certain blocks. We programmed the agent-based simulation with NetLogo. We identify the parameter ranges for non-monotone utility functions which are necessary for the generation of segregation, and we show the asymptotic behavior of the system given initial conditions and verify it through simulation. The model can be used to explain the socioeconomic segregation occurring in many urban areas.