Urban transportation networks: equilibrium analysis with mathematical programming methods by Yosef Sheffi explores how flow patterns in urban road networks can be determined by modeling two competing mechanisms: travel decisions and congestion. The book draws analogies between these mechanisms and the interaction of supply and demand in the marketplace, analyzing transportation level of service and flows instead of product prices and quantities. The results include equilibrium flow patterns and level-of-service measures. The text examines various dimensions of travel choice, including trip decision, mode choice, trip distribution, and route selection. These decisions, when analyzed together with congestion effects, determine the flow pattern through the network. A unified framework using graphical and network representations is employed for this analysis. The problem of finding the equilibrium flow pattern is known as traffic assignment, typically solved through nonlinear optimization. The book does not require prior knowledge of mathematical programming or graph theory, providing an introductory review of necessary background, including college calculus and introductory probability concepts. It uses intuitive arguments and network structures to illustrate situations graphically.Urban transportation networks: equilibrium analysis with mathematical programming methods by Yosef Sheffi explores how flow patterns in urban road networks can be determined by modeling two competing mechanisms: travel decisions and congestion. The book draws analogies between these mechanisms and the interaction of supply and demand in the marketplace, analyzing transportation level of service and flows instead of product prices and quantities. The results include equilibrium flow patterns and level-of-service measures. The text examines various dimensions of travel choice, including trip decision, mode choice, trip distribution, and route selection. These decisions, when analyzed together with congestion effects, determine the flow pattern through the network. A unified framework using graphical and network representations is employed for this analysis. The problem of finding the equilibrium flow pattern is known as traffic assignment, typically solved through nonlinear optimization. The book does not require prior knowledge of mathematical programming or graph theory, providing an introductory review of necessary background, including college calculus and introductory probability concepts. It uses intuitive arguments and network structures to illustrate situations graphically.