ENERGETICS MODELS OF SOCIOECONOMIC SYSTEMS 



Dr. John F. Alexander, Jr. 

 Professor 

 Urban and Regional Planning Departnent 

 University of Florida 

 Gainesville, FL 32611 



Marjorie J. Alexander, M.R.C. 



1405 N.W. 39th Drive 



Gainesville, FL 32605 



Preston 0. Howard, M.A. 



College of Law 



Florida State University 



Tallahassee, FL 32301 



INTRODUCTION 



This synthesis paper discusses the use of energetics models as a tool for 

 studying socioeconomic and environmental systems. It provides a method for 

 integrating the processes and components of natural and socioeconomic produc- 

 tion. This paper also introduces the theoretical principles of energetics 

 modeling and its limitations, followed by a discussion of the general method- 

 ology used in the design and execution of an energetics model. The results of 

 an energetics model of Tampa and Hillsborough County in southwestern Florida 

 are discussed, along with several other models, to show the types of research 

 questions that can be answered using this method. 



Different approaches have been proposed and tested for modeling natural 

 and human systems. This paper focuses on the use of energy as a common denom- 

 inator for all flows and storages within the systems under study. Energy cir- 

 cuit models are evaluated by measuring the quantity of energy flowing in a 

 particular pathway or stored in the system. Because all activities, interac- 

 tions, and even storages require energy, and in fact are energy, it is pos- 

 sible and practical to quantify a particular pathway by its energy value. 



MODELING LANGUAGE AND SYMBOLS 



The symbols used in the systems diagrams were established by Howard T. 

 Odum (1971) and are part of the energy circuit language. The language com- 

 bines several approaches that show energetics and provide insight into the 

 mathematical description of a system, and illustrates a holistic approach. 

 Energy circuit language contains a hierarchy of symbols that allow the dia- 

 graiTiming of several levels of complexity' in one model. 



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