From the diffusion of particles to the foraging patterns of animals, random walks are a useful mathematical model to describe many statistical processes. But just as one might walk randomly across a new city to get a feel for the place, simulated walks can also be used to study the structure of cities. For this episode of the science ramble, let’s look at how the issue of urban segregation can be quantified in this way.

This will be the last regular episode of the science ramble for now, while I will focus on other projects. I hope to still release the occasional episode though, so stay tuned.

Further reading

—------------------

The study covered in this episode: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33344-3

A more accessible summary of the research: https://www.pnas.org/post/journal-club/virtual-city-walks-offer-more-precise-metric-urban-segregation