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Entropy in Urban and Regional Modelling introduced a new framework for constructing spatial interaction and associated location models. These ideas are reviewed briefly and then set in the wider context of the application of entropy in a range of disciplines. Related developments since 1970 are examined with particular reference to extensions of the core model, links to mathematical programming, the relationship to economics, and the introduction of a dynamic spatial structure hypothesis. The role of entropy maximizing in geography, and more widely in complexity science, is reviewed and two conclusions are drawn beyond the continued effective deployment of entropy models: geography could be a leading player as complexity science develops; and geography can use these ideas to update the presentation of its classic theories. The ongoing research agenda is extensive—particularly in relation to the modeling of imperfect markets in economics—in its links with network science and agent‐based modeling. Recent developments in physics suggest a new role for entropy in understanding spatial structure. This article is organized into five main sections. The first summarizes the ideas of the book; the second sets this discussion in a wider context; the third surveys the developments that have taken place since its publication. The fourth summarizes the role of entropy maximizing in geography in the context of complexity science, and the fifth presents an ongoing research agenda.
Alan Wilson (Fri,) studied this question.