CAN THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM BE SOLVED

This paper examines the question of whether the urban transportation problem can actually be solved. The author attempts to answer this question with a yes or no, so that urban transportation planners may decide whether to continue seeking a 'correct' plan or be satisfied with an approximate solution that can be achieved now. As urban transportation is almost synonomous with movement, and there is no movement without the expenditure of energy, the answer is sought by considering manifestations of energy as they seem to affect the movement of people.