The classical view of the spatio-temporal evolution of cities in developed countries is that urban spaces are the result of
(centralized) urban planning. After the advent of complex systems’ theory, however, people have started to interpret city
structures as a result of self-organization processes. In fact, although the dynamics of urban agglomerations is a consequence
of many human decisions, these are often guided by optimization goals, requirements, constraints, or boundary conditions (such
as topographic ones). Therefore, it appears promising to view urban planning decisions as results of the existing structures
and upcoming ones (e.g. when a new freeway will lead close by in the near future). Within such an approach, it would not be
surprising anymore if urban evolution could be understood as a result of self-organization (Batty & Longley, 1994; Frankhauser,
1994; Schweitzer, 1997).