Abstract for: Modelling the Complexity of Large Systems: A Network-aided System Dynamics Approach

System dynamics solves social, natural and economic real-world problems to describe relationships among variables by mathematical and non-mathematical models of complex systems. However, it is difficult to identify the key areas in a large and dense system to generate significant changes in the whole system. This paper targets in the analysis of system related to large and complex issues, exploring the contributions of an integration approach combining social network analysis (SNA) and system dynamics (SD) modelling. SNA is a method based on graph theory, focusing on actors and their interrelationships, which can help identify key issues and help the constitution of a SD model boundary. This can help modellers prioritise areas where they can focus their interventions to apply actions. This paper first reviews the theoretical coherence and contribution of the integration of SNA and SD. Then methodological approaches are proposed and to be tested through case studies with multi-stakeholder collaboration in urban greenspace regeneration to validate the methodology.