Not only … but also: Urban mathematical models and urban social theory

Abstract

The chapter makes an argument that mathematical urban models should be joined with urban social theory. The two were separated historically was not because of any philosophical incommensurable difference but a result of internal sociological factors within the discipline of geography during the early 1970s. A model for integrating mathematical and social theoretical urban approaches is offered that draws on the work of the historian and philosopher of science, Peter Galison, and his idea of a trading zone.