Heuristic Programming in Spatial System Design

A link is needed to transform and to demonstrate the methodology of heuristic programming to the environment of spatial systems design. A class of problems is proposed which appears to be particularly suitable for this purpose. These problems relate to complex decisions in which the allocation and use of space is a critical dimension. This paper describes a game which may be viewed as an abstraction of real systems involving the packing of smaller items into a larger space; i.e., problems somewhat similar to the knapsack problem. The game has been invented as a means of focusing the attention of student designers on “real” games as opposed to parlor games. A computer implementation of a space game is described which provides for the addition and testing of subroutines incorporating heuristics for making decisions in design problems related to space.