Traffic Flow Modelling: Urban Congestion and Mobility Improvement

This lecture delves into the understanding of urban congestion and the development of advanced traffic management schemes to improve mobility. Starting from the basics, it introduces key traffic variables like flow, density, and speed, and progresses to the development of elegant models to describe congestion evolution. The course explores microscopic and macroscopic models, network-level models, and the use of data from various sources to gain insights into traffic evolution. By understanding congestion propagation, smart control algorithms can be designed to increase transport system supply, such as adaptive traffic lights and parameter control. Additionally, the lecture discusses how individual decisions impact traffic flow and how simple tools can be used to ensure societal benefits.