Abstract
In this paper we develop a model that predicts the shape of detached houses from the shape of residential lots by introducing the framework of the associative memory model. The model is based on the idea that, if the shapes of lots are similar, then the positions of associated houses may also be similar. To this effect, “similarity indices” of lots are devised and transformed into probabilities. The overlay of sample house positions weighted by the probabilities predicts the probability density for each point in the lot covered by a house. The model is tested empirically with data from Hiratsuka city in the Kanagawa prefecture in Japan. The results of its sensitivity analysis by gradually changing the lot shape reproduces the actual tendencies of allocation of houses and yards for lots of limited area.