Simulation, Planning, and Society

Melville C. Branch continues his lifelong examination of planning as inherent in all human activities, and the primary determinant of our prospects and survival as a species. This latest work discusses the use of simulation throughout society, as the representation of what is considered or planned. Simulation is everpresent in many different forms, such as financial statements representing the economic state of a business, flight simulators used in training pilots, and wind tunnels and hydrodynamic tanks employed in research. Scientific sample polls of relatively few people reveal the collective opinion of entire populations. Mathematical models are used to analyze all sorts of phenomena and to plan many activities. Literature, law, music, and art simulate human thoughts, emotions, concerns, and conclusions. Simulation is an essential element of individual behavior and societal action.

"Professor Branch's latest book, Simulation, Planning, and Society, is a valuable contribution to the literature. It transcends the specific concerns of the planning profession and demonstrates the universality of planning to global societal decision making. It is particularly relevant in this computer age, and is a must-read for those in governmental administration or any aspect of planning, community, or corporate administration."-Lee E. Koppelman Director/Leading Professor of Political Science State University of New York at Stony Brook, "Professor Mel Branch is a living legend in the field of planning scholarship and research. His latest book, Simulation, Planning, and Society, not only adds further luster to Dr. Branch's bibliography, it brings us into new realms of thinking. How marvelous that the senior scholar in the planning field should be possessed of a mind and an imagination as daring, as visionary, as prophetic as the 21st century."-Dr. Kevin Starr State Librarian of California California State Library

MELVILLE C. BRANCH is Distinguished Professor of Urban and Regional Planning Emeritus at the University of Southern California. He is the author of twenty books, including Planning: Universal Process (Praeger, 1990), Planning and Human Survival (Praeger, 1992), and Telepower, Planning, and Society (Praeger, 1994).