Blockbusting: Or How to Handle Complex Constraints in the Transportation Tableau

This paper considers how far it is possible to manipulate the layout of a Transportation (LP) matrix to handle the following characteristics:

1. i)
   Any combination of =, ?, ?, and (? and ? combined) constraints, henceforward referred to collectively as "mixed constraints".
    
2. ii)
   The application of mixed constraints to (a) single cells, (b) whole rows or columns of cells, (c) groups of cells within a row or column, (d) groups of several rows or groups of several columns.
    

It is shown how most models which possess some or all of these characteristics can be represented in a compact tableau and a solution found by applying a well-known algorithm. The advantages of manipulating the layout in this way are then reviewed.