SSC · School of Systems & Complexity

02 — When structure shapes behaviour

Who Created This Pattern?

How can mild preferences produce a divided neighbourhood?

Try this: choose Mild preference, then Play. Raise the required share of similar neighbours.

Peach and blue homes: two groups · Outline: vacant · Ring: wants to move · Paths: a few moves each round
Start with

Try this: choose Mild preference, then Play. Raise the required share of similar neighbours.

Paused

Presets and Reset repeat the same starting arrangement. Empty homes restarts the neighbourhood; preference and radius pause it for inspection.

Residents satisfied —

Neighbours from the other group —

What to notice

Start with the mixed neighbourhood. Ringed homes are households whose local preference is unmet. Each round, they move to available homes; the highlighted paths follow a few of those moves. Compare Integrated with Mild preference. Notice how patches form even though residents do not demand complete separation.

Why it matters

Individual moves change the neighbourhood for everyone else. Nobody plans the final pattern, but local choices reinforce one another. This is a simplified mechanism for exploring segregation, not a complete explanation of real housing patterns.