A conceptual framework for agent-based modeling of human behavior in spatial design

The paper presents the design phase of an Agent-Based Model of a human user acting in a built environment, useful for the simulation of indoor and outdoor settings in urban and architectural design. It describes a conceptual framework to formalize the main aspects of human spatial behavior in a shared environment. Moreover, it represents the cognitive abilities behind spatial behaviors and defines how some physical, social, and psychological factors, as well as their interactions, affect behavioral performance through operational feedback at decisional and executional level. The cognition-based architecture is built on the agent pursuing goals in a grid-like layout, where each cell provides a certain feature. The agent forms goals by interpreting objectives through his internal state and consequently, the behavior takes place in the simulated environment. Action planning incorporates the memory of previous successes and failures, which allows the agent to improve over time. Action execution involves movement, interaction with space, and social interaction, all of which vary depending on environmental features and available time.