The Science of Flexibility in Mobility

This book presents a systematic approach to designing flexible structures for effective operations, bridging centralized planning with decentralized execution. With applications spanning supply chain management, service operations, and smart city logistics, the authors develop innovative approaches to resource allocation, workforce mobility, and transportation networks. Drawing on recent advances in process flexibility, the book examines how operational systems can adapt efficiently to changes in demand, resources, and external conditions. The authors bring together recent developments in flexibility design, including sparsity design in general networks and flexibility in decentralized systems. The book also introduces contemporary approaches to decision-making under uncertainty, including robust optimization and real-time analytics. As organizations face increasing uncertainty and rapid technological change, the ability to design flexible and adaptive operational systems has become increasingly important. This book provides a systematic framework for understanding, designing, and implementing flexibility in mobility, supply chain, and service operations and is a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and graduate students in operations research, industrial engineering, business analytics, and related fields.