In recent years, several types of simulation and prediction models have been used within a GIS environment to determine a realistic future for urban growth patterns. These models include quantitative and spatio-temporal techniques that are implemented to monitor urban growth. The results derived through these techniques are used to create future policies that take into account sustainable development and the demands of future generations. The aim of this paper is to provide a basis for a literature review of urban Cellular Automata (CA) models to find the most suitable approach for a realistic simulation of land use changes. The general characteristics of simulation models of urban growth and urban CA models are described, and the different techniques used in the design of these models are classified. The strengths and weaknesses of the various models are identified based on the analysis and discussion of the characteristics of these models. The results of the review confirm that the CA model is one of the strongest models for simulating urban growth patterns owing to its structure, simplicity, and possibility of evolution. Limitations of the CA model, namely weaknesses in the quantitative aspect, and the inability to include the driving forces of urban growth in the simulation process, may be minimized by integrating it with other quantitative models, such as via the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Markov Chain and frequency ratio models. Realistic simulation can be achieved when socioeconomic factors and spatial and temporal dimensions are integrated in the simulation process.

The creation of an accurate simulation of future urban growth is considered one of the most important challenges in urban studies that involve spatial modeling. The purpose of this study is to improve the simulation capability of an integrated CA-Markov Chain (CA-MC) model using CA-MC based on the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and CA-MC based on Frequency Ratio (FR), both applied in Seremban, Malaysia, as well as to compare the performance and accuracy between the traditional and hybrid models. Various physical, socioeconomic , utilities, and environmental criteria were used as predictors, including elevation, slope, soil texture, population density, distance to commercial area, distance to educational area, distance to residential area, distance to industrial area, distance to roads, distance to highway, distance to railway, distance to power line, distance to stream, and land cover. For calibration, three models were applied to simulate urban growth trends in 2010; the actual data of 2010 were used for model validation utilizing the Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC) and Kappa coefficient methods Consequently, future urban growth maps of 2020 and 2030 were created. The validation findings confirm that the integration of the CA-MC model with the FR model and employing the significant driving force of urban growth in the simulation process have resulted in the improved simulation capability of the CA-MC model. This study has provided a novel approach for improving the CA-MC model based on FR, which will provide powerful support to planners and decision-makers in the development of future sustainable urban planning.

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