An agent-based model for the urban and spatial planning in the center of Athens

Nowadays, more and more people worldwide tend to live in cities. This increased urbanization dictates careful and detailed spatial planning for the development of the cities to ensure they remain inclusive, accessible, and resilient. To this end, this paper introduces an Agent-Based Model (ABM) designed to assess the accessibility of essential urban infrastructure in the city center of Athens, Greece. Following an established literature protocol, the ABM is gradually built by describing its overview, its design concepts and its details. The proposed model simulates the residents’ movement to evaluate whether the existing urban infrastructure—particularly public hospitals—meets citizens’ needs within a reasonable walking distance. Although this study focuses on healthcare access, the framework can be expanded to additional infrastructure layers such as transportation, sports or recreation. The model integrates geospatial data and behavioral simulation to identify underserved areas and determine where existing infrastructure should be expanded or new facilities constructed with the aim to facilitate every citizen to reach it within a reasonable distance from his/her residence. The resulting improvements in proximity to essential services support Sustainable Development Goals, such as “Good Health and Well-Being” and “Sustainable Cities and Communities”. By reducing unnecessary travel and emissions, the approach contributes to more sustainable and equitable urban development. The results demonstrate the model’s potential as a data-driven decision-support tool for the stakeholders seeking to enhance accessibility and environmental performance in dense urban environments.