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Microeconomics and Planning: Using Simple Diagrams to Illustrate the Economics of Traffic Congestion

This instructional piece, designed for planning students at the graduate or undergraduate level, uses a sequence of diagrams to illustrate fundamental economic concepts related to traffic congestion. The level of congestion that arises in a transportation system in the absence of policy intervention is contrasted with the optimum planner's-solution. Four alternative policies are evaluated: do nothing, expand supply, restrict demand, and implement tolls. The presentation offered here differs from that found in traditional urban textbooks in three ways. First, eleven diagrams are used instead of the usual two or three. Second, the entire analysis is encapsulated within this article so prior training in economics is not required. Third, a persistent reference is made to the planner's point of view.

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