Dynamics of Urban Growth: Modeling the Fractal Dimension of the City of Irbid, Jordan

The emergence of fractal geometry engendered a shift from the common view that sees cities as simple, ordered and structured, expressed by smooth lines and shapes, towards a view that cities are complex organisms evolving according to local rules and conditions. The main objectives of this study are first to prove the fractality of the geometry of Irbid, Jordan as a case study and second to provide mathematical procedure and tool (fractal geometry) for urban analysis. The research simulates the growth of Irbid across many scales and times. The main hypothesis asserted here is that Irbid is growing systematically and factually, even though its growth demographically and geometrically hasn't been strictly regular. This supports the argument that cities globally or locally would produce fractal growth at every level of their hierarchy.